The Ripple Effect
by tahmtahm
Summary: This story focuses on what happens when Spock Prime reveals to Starfleet Command what happened in the Prime Universe, and the impact the information has on this universe. OC that is an El-Aurian. Epilogue added.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or any of its characters. Kaitlyn Donovan does belong to me.

If you have read some of my previous stories, yes - this is the same Kaitlyn Donovan. She is half-human and half-El-Aurian.

Author's Note: This story focuses on what happens when Spock Prime reveals to Starfleet Command what happened in the Prime Universe, and the impact the information has on this universe.

**The Ripple Effect**

**Earth - Before Spock Prime arrives**

Commander Kaitlyn Donovan watched from across the room as her instructor approached. She could see he did not want to tell her whatever he was about to spring on her. She could read him from his inability to look her in the eye.

Commander Belk, one of her instructors in this Advanced Ground Warfare class at Starfleet was in fact, the same rank as she - but she actually had more time in service and rank.

Actually, she had grandchildren older than him. She was condemned to look young for a very, very long time. She was half-human and half-El-Aurian, a fact which she did not find out until after she had joined the Military Assault Command Operations (MACO) way before the Federation was founded.

Her 'first life', as she referred to it, had been good. She had a good career in the MACOs, and even did some assignments for Section 31. She had eventually married and had children. When her husband had died, she'd gone to Vulcan on Sabbatical and effectively disappeared. That is, until Section 31 had approached her after one of her grandsons had been killed on the _U.S.S. Kelvin_ in a surprise attack. They promised her a new life in which she could work for Starfleet Intelligence to help track down the renegade ship.

For twenty-three years she had been working for Starfleet Intelligence and had been collecting technology that the renegade ship had been selling off. Starfleet, in turn, had studied the advanced technology. A plethora of technological advancements had been made because of them. Then, a year and a half ago, she had been drafted to train for a new position Starfleet had created, First Contact Officer.

The First Contact Officer on the Starfleet vessel investigates and reports on a first contact planet's government and infrastructure, their politicians and military leaders, etc. . . so that Starfleet can quickly determine the friend/foe status of the new contact world.

She had found it interesting that all of the Starfleet Officers that were invited to transfer and train to be FCOs, were all former Starfleet Intelligence Operatives.

She watched as Commander Belk stopped in front of her and finally, looked her into her emerald eyes.

"Donovan, you're assigned to the blue team." he stated matter-of-factly.

She raised an eyebrow in question, "Excuse me?" she questioned. She had specifically told her instructors that she did not want to be assigned to the blue team because of one, particularly annoying cadet.

A cadet, mind you.

Starfleet had them training their last semester in the Advanced Ground Warfare class with a bunch of cadets. Supposedly, to help the FCOs reacclimatize to working in groups again, as opposed to their former job's unanimity.

The cadet was a cocky, quick witted, leap without looking male that seemed to think that everyone in the world existed for his amusement - especially females. Unfortunately, many females succumbed to his litany of charm and fell under his hypnotic spell.

"We decided that it would do you good to work with someone you don't want to. It's not like you're going to get to pick the crew on the ship you're assigned." he pointed out.

Her eyes narrowed, "You realize that I am qualified to have my own ship?" she countered.

He stood his ground, "Not as an FCO, it tops out at Commander. If you wanted your own ship, you should've chosen another field - like Command." he shrugged.

She frowned, "Don't expect me to go easy on him." she stated.

Her instructor nodded.

_All of the instructors were expecting her to do just that. _

The cadet in question had been able to skate in the grey area of right and wrong and hadn't done enough to get himself in too much trouble. Instead of reigning in his outside the box thinking, he'd become emblazoned and pushed the limits even further with each class he took at the Academy.

She was just the adversary they needed to work against him. To reign that cadet in, knock him down a few notches.

Commander Belk smiled and headed for his fellow instructors. He didn't like the fact he had drawn the short straw to have to tell her the news, but they would all reap the benefits after she went a few rounds with the cadet.

Commander Donovan was a well trained officer that wouldn't put up with Cadet Kirk's antics.

XXXXX

Commander Donovan tried to contain her temper as she looked at the facility through her binoculars.

_He_ had just flat out said '_No_' to the orders she'd just given. The past few weeks, he'd been testing her patience to no end. She turned and looked at him through narrowed eyes.

Cadet Kirk baulked, "We don't have time to go all the way around the lake to take the easiest way to get in - the hostages are being tortured!" he continued to argue with her, his blue eyes blazing.

She could feel her fist pulling back and she didn't blink until after it made contact with his jaw and knocked him back, almost causing him to lose his balance.

She was appalled at herself for letting her emotions get the best of her. She glanced at the rest of the cadets in her team and saw their wide-eyed expressions.

She frowned, "I apologize. But, if you ever countermand your superior's orders in the field - you can expect a much harsher punishment. You will do as I order - or I will leave you here." she promised and regained her composure.

James T. Kirk had been momentarily stunned by her punch, but he was quick thinking. "As a superior officer, you can not maroon me here. You have the duty to make sure that you take care of every officer under your command." he pointed out.

She looked at him curiously, "Isn't it amazing that you remember Starfleet Regulations when it works to your advantage?" She looked at the changing color of his jaw.

She turned to Cadet McCoy, "Tend to his wound after we get done rescuing the hostages." she ordered.

"Yes, Ma'am." McCoy acknowledged. He shook his head at his friend after the Commander turned to take the lead on their trek around the lake.

McCoy took a quick look at Kirk's jaw, "You're lucky she didn't just phaser you right then and there." he pointed out. "Could you please not get court-martialed?" he inquired as they quickly rushed to keep up with Donovan and the rest of their team.

Kirk grinned, "I'm not going to get court-martialed." he reassured his friend. "Besides, it was pretty cool to see her get all riled up. She's always so calm and collected, you'd think she was a Vulcan."

McCoy frowned, "Getting people mad, just to have them lose their cool with you - for your own amusement - is not something that will help the situation. You know the instructors are getting fed up with your shenanigans." James Kirk was his best friend - but he was going to be the death of him.

XXXXX

Commander Kaitlyn Donovan stood at attention before Commander Peterson as he continued to dress her down for her actions.

"What the hell were you thinking, Donovan? Kirk could bring charges on you!" Peterson demanded an explanation.

She'd been berating herself for the past few hours, trying to figure out why she'd hit Kirk. She glanced at her Senior Instructor, "I wasn't thinking, Sir. I gave into an impulse." she admitted.

Commander Peterson shook his head and crossed his arms. He sighed softly. She was normally the calmest person amidst a simulated crisis in class. Kirk had obviously pushed her too far. Peterson couldn't help but feel partly responsible because he and the other instructors had put her on the team with Kirk, despite her request. "You have been in Starfleet long enough to know that you can't give into those impulses." he pointed out. He watched her closely, "Find another outlet for your frustrations. Apologize to Kirk and come back Monday with your head on straight. Dismissed."

"Aye, Sir." Donovan acknowledged, about-faced and left the office.

XXXXX

The bar was occupied by only about a dozen people at the moment, though it was relatively early for the party hounds to be out already.

Leonard McCoy slid into a booth and ordered an ale from the waiter, then opened up his Starfleet Security Protocol book. He looked over at the bar where Kirk had just saddled up and started conversing with a beautiful woman. He shook his head. It never failed that Jim ended up buying drinks for a few women when they went out. Luckily, McCoy knew by now to bring a book with him to study.

He knew he could study all weekend, and he'd pull out a 'B'. Kirk, on the other hand, could read it once and he'd get an "A" on the exam Monday. He turned to the page where he'd left off.

A shadow fell over the table.

He looked up and was startled. He stood up quickly, "Commander." he acknowledged.

Commander Donovan waved at him to sit down. "We're not on duty, McCoy. I happened to notice the book you're reading - is Lt. Commander Ridlen still teaching that class?" she asked.

"Yes, Ma'am." he nodded. He looked around the bar and didn't notice anyone holding a table for her.

"Would you care to sit down?" he offered.

She nodded, "So, is this where you choose to study?" she smiled softly as they sat down.

He shook his head, "Friday night we go out on town. Kirk comes for the atmosphere," he indicated the woman at the bar, "and I bring a book to study and get a drink." he shrugged.

Donovan glanced at the bar and frowned, remembering one of her tasks was to apologize to Kirk before Monday. Truthfully, she was still mad at him for making her lose her temper. She focused her attention on McCoy, "Well, the good thing is that you're already a doctor - you'll move up fast after you're out of the Academy." she stated.

"You mean, _if_ I graduate from the Academy. I'm a doctor, not a security chief." he shook his head and tapped the book. "I understand the concepts, it's just all of the procedures that are bogging me down." he explained.

"Well, do you follow the acronym?" Donovan questioned him.

He looked puzzled, "What acronym?"

"S.A.M.R.C." she stated. "Secure the perimeter. Assess damage and casualties. Maintain alertness. Report findings. Carry out orders." she described.

"And the acronym helps?" he asked.

She nodded, "Especially in the simulations - you don't have time to stop and mull over what to do, you've got to act fast and efficiently." she told him.

He soaked in the information as he wrote down the acronym and what it meant on the inside cover of his book. He looked up and noticed her watching him.

"I'm sorry - where are my manners?" he motioned for the waiter to come over. "Let me get you a drink." he offered.

"Iced tea, please." she told the waiter and he left quickly.

"So," McCoy began and smiled softly, "if you don't come here to drink - what do you come here for?" he asked. Commander Donovan was an interesting woman. She looked just a year or so younger than him, but she'd been in Starfleet for more than a dozen years. He couldn't imagine why she was here.

Donovan shrugged, "It's a very well kept secret that this is the best place around here to get pizza." She looked around again. "Look, I don't like to eat alone. If I order a pizza, will you have some?" she offered.

"Sure - if you'll give me some more pointers." he tapped the book again and smiled.

She grinned, "It's a deal."

The waiter came over and delivered her tea and took the order for the pizza.

"Okay, what else do you want to know?" she asked and leaned back against the booth.

XXXXX

McCoy looked at his watch, "Good God!" he snapped and stood up quickly, causing a few people in the now much crowded bar to stare at him and see what the commotion was all about.

"I've got a rotation at the hospital tomorrow, I mean today." he explained himself to her.

Donovan looked at the time, "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to keep you out this late." she apologized.

"No, no." he waved it off. "Time passed so quickly because you're good company." he smiled.

He looked around the bar and noticed that Kirk was nowhere to be seen. His eyes narrowed. _He wondered how long ago his friend had abandoned him._

"Let me walk you back to the Academy." he offered.

"Thank you." she accepted.

They walked down the gently sloping sidewalk to the Academy.

"Thank you for all of the helpful advice. I feel more confident about the exam on Monday morning." he admitted to her.

Donovan smiled, "You're welcome. If you have any other questions, you know where to find me." she offered.

"I just might have to take you up on that offer." he smiled back.

They stopped walking where the path split off to the main Academy grounds and Cadet housing and the Advanced Academy and Officer housing.

"Have a good shift at the hospital and I'll see you in class Monday afternoon. I think we have another simulated exercise to do." she turned and started walking down the path.

"Thanks again." McCoy thanked her and headed down the other path.

XXXXX

McCoy opened the door to their quarters. He came in and found Kirk perusing the exact same book he was carrying in his hand.

"I thought the deal was we don't leave each other behind?" he questioned Kirk.

Kirk laid the book down on his chest and grinned wickedly, "You two were in such deep conversation, I didn't want to bother you."

"You could have told me you were leaving, I have a shift in five hours." he scowled as he sat down on his bed and took off his boots and let them drop to the floor.

Kirk shook his head, "I would not have approached your table. You saw what she did to my jaw when we were training - I can't even begin to imagine how she would pummel me when we're not on duty." he was still grinning.

McCoy sighed and took off his shirt and tossed it on the floor. "Turn on the alarm and turn off the light." he said gruffly as he laid down and turned his back to his friend.

Kirk watched his friend carefully. Since he'd met Bones three years ago - the man had never been in such a deep and animated conversation with a woman as Kirk had seen him tonight.

He hit the alarm switch and turned off the light. He'd have to find out what was so interesting about Commander Donovan to peak his best friend's interests.

XXXXX

McCoy walked over to the duty board to see where his assignment was today. He frowned. "What's this?" he questioned another doctor beside him.

The guy chuckled, "You get to go to the Academy Ultimate Fighter contest today and fix all of the broken bodies after they get done fighting each other. You should probably drag a whole cart of equipment with you. Have fun." he grinned and left.

McCoy scowled. Great. _Just what he wanted to do._ Watch people fight each other, just to earn a title. Why did the Academy even allow such an event to take place? He headed to the supply closet and started picking up items to take with him.

He turned as a nurse came in and started gathering items.

"Doctor McCoy, I'll be helping you at the AUF today. I'm Nurse Chapel." she smiled softly. "I'll gather all of the supplies, while you check out the necessary equipment." she suggested.

McCoy nodded and dumped the supplies he'd gathered in her arms and went to the desk to check out the equipment from the hospital. He sighed, _it was going to be a long shift_.

XXXXX

Kirk grinned as he entered the Academy Sports Complex and headed to the gymnasium. He had gotten up as soon as McCoy left for his shift to find out more about Commander Donovan.

It hadn't taken much digging to find out where she was going to be today. She was actually scheduled as a contestant in the Academy Ultimate Fighter contest.

He never would have imagined that she would enter such a thing. She didn't seem like the type to fight it out with people. He just thought she threw a good punch, and that was it. She was starting to peak his interest, too.

He smiled as he approached the registration table.

The female cadet behind the table smiled back, "Are you interested in signing up as a late entry?" she asked.

"Sure - sign me up!" he grinned.

She waved an identification wand at him.

"Cadet James T. Kirk." she smiled. "Go to the medical table and get cleared by the doctor and bring back this card." she handed the card to him with his contestant number printed on it.

"I'll be back." he promised her and headed to the Medical table. He slowed his stride when he saw who the doctor was.

McCoy frowned, "What are you doing here? Don't tell me you actually want to enter this contest!" he scoffed at his friend.

Kirk shrugged, "Anyone can enter." he smiled as the nurse took his vitals.

McCoy crossed his arms across his chest while she scanned him.

Nurse Chapel showed him Kirk's results.

"You're cleared to participate." he stated and signed off on the PADD.

Nurse Chapel swiped Kirk's contestant card to authorize his participation and handed the card back to Kirk. She went back to computer station and logged in Kirk's information.

"I can't believe you're going to do this." McCoy shook his head.

Kirk raised an eyebrow at his friend. "So what did you say to Donovan when she came through here?" he asked.

McCoy blinked, "What?" he asked his friend, not quite sure he heard right. _Did he say Commander Donovan was in the contest?_

Kirk nodded, "She's signed up."

"Nurse Chapel!" he bellowed.

She came over quickly, "Yes, doctor?"

"Do all of the contestants have to check in with me?" he asked.

"No, doctor. Those that signed up earlier got clearance from their doctor when they registered. Only the late entries go through you." she explained.

He nodded and waved her off.

McCoy looked at Kirk, "Is that why you're here? Because of Donovan?" he questioned quickly.

Kirk grinned, "I'm just curious. Besides, where else can I pay her back for punching me?" with that said, he turned and left his friend standing there with his mouth open.

XXXXX

Kirk smiled as he handed the card back to the registration desk attendant. "So, how did you manage to pull this duty on a Saturday?" he asked her.

She smiled as she scanned his card. "I'm in public relations and we have to volunteer a certain number of hours a semester." She handed him the card back.

"If I can still stand when I get out of here - would you like to go get dinner later?" he asked softly.

"Sure - if you're still standing. Have you seen some of the guys that have entered?" she questioned.

He shrugged it off. "The bigger they are, the harder they fall." he smiled. He leaned closer to her and spoke softly. "Hey, is there a way that I could go against a certain contestant?" he asked nonchalantly.

She smiled, "Why?" she questioned just as quietly.

He indicated his slightly discolored jaw, "I would like to return the favor."

She smiled, "What's the name?" she asked for his card back.

He handed her the card. "Last name Donovan."

She touched a few lines on her PADD and slid his card, then handed it back. "I hope it's worth it - you have to win two other matches to reach Donovan. Donovan has third tier standing." she smiled.

"What exactly does that mean?" he asked.

She shrugged, "It means that Donovan has competed before, and has a high enough standing to bypass the first two rounds."

He grinned, "It will be worth it. I'll see you after I'm done." he promised. He tapped the card and went to the locker room.

XXXXX

_This had better be worth it_, Kirk thought to himself as he got punched in the gut by his second opponent.

Kirk quickly swiped the guy's feet out from underneath him.

The guy fell hard and Kirk quickly pinned him to the floor.

The ref declared Kirk the winner.

The crowd cheered as Kirk waved to his fans.

He helped the guy up and shook his hand.

Kirk walked over and picked up his water. He swallowed the liquid as McCoy ran a tricorder over him.

"Are you really going to go through with this?" McCoy asked him quietly.

Kirk nodded. "I'll be back."

McCoy frowned as Kirk walked away to go talk to one of his new female fans.

"He's pretty quick on his feet." a familiar voice said as she stopped beside him.

McCoy nodded and glanced at Commander Donovan. "That he is."

She noticed McCoy shift uncomfortably. She turned to leave.

"Good luck, Commander." he said.

"Luck won't have anything to do with it." she stated and headed to the ring to watch another match.

Kaitlyn watched as her top two competitors from the year before fought each other. At least she'd only end up fighting one of them this year when she advanced past Kirk.

She knew she could beat Kirk. He was more of a street fighter, than a military combat fighter. Street fighters lived to play another day. Military combat fighters take out their opponents to survive. Kirk just didn't have the experience she'd had in the field.

She watched as one of the combatants went down and the match was declared. She nodded to the two men as they left the ring.

The matches were quick. None of them lasted more than ten minutes, most less than five.

XXXXX

"Donovan and Kirk!" the ref called.

Donovan stepped forward and the ref swiped her card and ran the identification wand over her.

The computer hummed, "Commander Kaitlyn Donovan, identity confirmed."

Kirk came up beside her and the ref swiped his card and waved the wand over him.

"Cadet James T. Kirk, identity confirmed." the computer stated.

The ref nodded to the two of them as he handed his equipment and their cards to his aide. They walked to the center of the ring. He looked over the two competitors in front of him. It looked like they knew each other from the looks they were giving each other.

"First one down on the mat and pinned loses. Winner moves on." he stepped out of the way.

Kirk grinned at Donovan, "Sure you don't want to forfeit now? I'm not going to hold back - and I can't get in trouble for what happens in the ring, I checked." he told her.

She nodded, "You're right - _neither_ of us can get in trouble." she pointed out.

Kirk frowned, he didn't realize she was coming from the same angle as he was. He set his jaw and nodded. He quickly punched and she dodged out of the way.

She raised an eyebrow, "You're going to have to be quicker than that." she chided him.

Kirk's eyes narrowed, he sucker punched her stomach, then round house kicked her left arm.

She didn't miss a beat and whirled and smashed his ribs with her open right palm - feeling a few of them break under pressure, then she kicked his legs out from underneath him.

He went down, but quickly rolled away as she stomped her heel down where his head had been just a second ago. He jumped up and gave her a swift kick in the side and knocked her over. She jumped back up and punched his ribs again.

He blocked her next punch with his left arm and then quickly punched her left arm again and heard something pop.

She grabbed his body and flipped him over on to the mat.

He snatched her arm then pulled her down and used her momentum as she fell to pull himself up.

She kicked his knee cap and jumped up as he fell back. She quickly took hold of his tumbling body and pinned one of his arms behind his back as he face planted into the mat. She dug her elbow and knee into his back.

She had him pinned and he couldn't gain any leverage against her.

"Winner, Donovan." the ref declared.

She let go of Kirk's arm and he quickly rolled over. She stood up and offered him a hand.

He nodded and accepted her hand. He winced as he stood up. "I think I've got some broken ribs." he admitted.

She nodded, "Let's get McCoy to patch us up." she suggested as they walked past the cheering crowds.

"How's your arm?" Kirk asked.

She shrugged, "It's a little messed up." She glanced at him, "Kirk, I'm sorry that I punched you in class. I let my anger get the better of me." she apologized.

"I have a tendency to grate on people's nerves. Apology accepted." he nodded.

She smiled softly, "You lasted longer than I thought you would." she admitted to him.

"I'm spunky like that." he grinned as they stepped up to the medical area. He nodded to her, "You have been trained very well, Commander." he told her.

"Thank you." she stated as McCoy approached them, frowning.

Donovan smiled at McCoy, "Take care of him first, my next round isn't for another half an hour." she stated.

McCoy waved the tricorder over both of them, "Really? Did you two really have to cause this much damage to each other?" he questioned as he motioned for each one of them to get on a biobed.

He shook his head as Kirk laid back slowly and sucked in his breath. "Serves you right." McCoy loaded a hypo spray and stuck it against Kirk's neck and injected the pain killer into his system.

Kirk smiled up at McCoy, "She's a really good fighter." he admitted to his friend.

McCoy rolled his eyes and leaned closer, "Obviously she is, she won the competition last year. Did you even bother to find that out before you signed up?" he asked. He stood back up when he saw the shocked look on Kirk's face. "Of course you didn't." He waved the bone stabilizer over Kirk's ribs slowly to set them.

"Lay still for a few minutes." he directed, then went to tend to Donovan.

He sighed softly as he approached. He got out another hypo of pain killer and injected her, then picked up the stabilizer and waved it slowly over her left arm to ease the pressure of her torn muscles.

"I was surprised when I found out you were competing today." he said softly.

She shrugged, "It's a good competition. Besides, I was told to get rid of my frustrations this weekend." she indicated the ring behind them. "This is the only time I get to spar with anyone."

He looked puzzled, "Don't you practice with anyone?" he asked.

"Surprisingly, no one has volunteered." she shrugged.

McCoy chuckled softly, "Well, if you're just going to stomp them, I can see why no one has volunteered." he pointed out. He waved the tricorder over her arm again. "All set. Let me get a wrap to put on it."

"I'll get the wrap after I'm done." she told him and explained quickly. "If I have a wrap on, they know I hurt my arm - and we go after weak spots." she explained.

"Oh, okay. Well, come by when you're finished." he reminded her.

She nodded and got off the biobed. "I will." she promised and left.

McCoy walked back to Kirk and pulled a wrap out of its sterilized bag. He indicated for his friend to sit up and take his shirt off.

Kirk sat up gingerly. Although the ribs were set, they were still really sore.

McCoy unrolled the wrap as he wound it around his friend's ribs. "Wear the wrap today. Take it off when you take a warm shower tonight. I'll help you wrap it again later. You should feel much better tomorrow evening." he reassured his friend.

Kirk thanked his best friend, "Are you going to come watch her?" he asked as he put his shirt back on.

McCoy shook his head, "I saw her fight you, that was enough."

Kirk nodded to his friend and went to go watch another competition.

XXXXX

Commander Donovan sat on the bench outside of the cadet housing complex and waited patiently. She picked up her PADD and reread the latest information she had received on their upcoming mission.

"Commander." Kirk called.

She looked up and smiled softly as her 'team' approached. She stood up and nodded to them. They had agreed to meet and study in one of the living areas of the cadet housing, just in case their study session ran late.

They walked in and headed to the third floor and went into one of the living areas. They took over two couches and a couple of chairs and the coffee table between them.

She sat down in one of the plush chairs and waited for them to get out their PADDs.

"So, what's our assignment, Boss?" Kirk asked as he sat down on the couch closest to her chair.

The other cadets quickly sat down and waited to hear about the assignment.

"I think this one is going to culminate many challenges that we've already encountered." she touched her PADD and sent the information she had to each of them. "Notice the wording." she pointed out and let them read the message.

Kirk read the message carefully.

_Your Team will be responsible for carrying out the final stage of surveillance of a first contact world. Your team will analyze the data and recommend to Starfleet whether or not we should make first contact at this time._

_As an observer, your duty first and foremost, is non interference. Should you be discovered by the planets' inhabitants, exposure of advanced technology and our organization is to be negligible to nonexistent._

_Should any of your team be captured, it is up to the rest of the team to rescue them. Adhere to the Prime Directive and wait for extraction._

_Your team's ranking will be based on how well you complete the six objectives discussed in class._

Kirk looked up at Donovan. It certainly seemed that this mission was going to encompass all of their previous training. He also could see why the instructors had the FCOs as team leaders for this mission.

Donovan waited for the rest of the team to finish reading the message.

"I want all of us to create the plan for this mission. I see three parts to this: first, the surveillance of the first contact planet; second, the contingent plan if we are discovered; and third, the analysis of the planet and our recommendation to Starfleet. Let's begin, gentlemen." she directed.

They broke up into pairs to begin formulating a plan for each part of the mission.

After an hour of planning, Kirk went and picked up bottles of water for each of them and handed them out. He handed one to Donovan and McCoy, then sat down and opened his. He took a long sip and grinned when he saw the look on her face, "What is it, Commander?"

She smiled softly and sat back, "I'd just forgotten what it was like to plan missions out as a team." she took a sip of water and then leaned forward. "Five minutes and we'll go over what we've got so far." she directed.

They all nodded and wrapped up what they were working on.

They each read over the plans, then began to make suggestions on how to improve them.

XXXXX

They went over the plan twice, just to make sure that no one had any questions.

Donovan was confident that they were ready and would do well and she told them so.

McCoy had gone to go get something and the other team members were starting to gather their belongings.

"Good night, Commander." Belkor said and waved as he and some others began to leave.

"Sleep well." she nodded as they left.

She turned to Kirk, "Jim, you're my second in command on this mission, if anything happens to me - I know you'll carry the team through."

He frowned, "Nothing's going to happen to you. I think this is really a test for FCOs, they want to see how well you can lead a group in a mission."

Donovan nodded, "I think so, too. I think they want to see if we'll sacrifice someone for the good of the mission." she pointed out.

"Why?" he questioned.

"Because my duty is to the ship and its crew. Sometimes, situations occur in which everyone does not return alive." she said softly. There had been too many times in her career when that had occurred.

"Well, that's crap." he frowned. "Each member of the crew is valuable. You can't just write people off. There must be a way for everyone to get through this alive." he stated.

She nodded, "Keep your eyes and ears open. If we can find a way, we'll bring everyone back safe and sound." she promised him.

He nodded and stood up, "We are ready - thanks to you."

Donovan got up and picked up her PADD, "I'm sorry if I kept you from other studies." she realized.

Kirk smiled, "Nothing else to study for tonight." he waved it off.

She looked at the clock on the wall, "Where is Bones?" she questioned.

"I'll go tell him to hurry up. Good night, Commander." he said as he left the room.

Donovan looked over their final plan. It was sound and very creative. The cadets should be proud of their work tonight.

She walked over to the window and looked down. She smiled as she saw a trio of cadets running and quickly climbing into an open first floor window. She guessed things hadn't really changed since she'd been a cadet. All of the pranks cadets pulled on each other, the sneaking out after curfew. She grinned as all three cadets managed to get in and close the window as security pulled up.

"Here it is." Bones said as he approached.

Donovan turned and smiled.

"I remembered that one of our instructors mentioned that Admiral Archer had written a sort of guide for his crew. I found it in the library archives." he said and showed it to her.

Donovan waited while he quickly sent the guide from his PADD to hers. "Thank you."

"Supposedly he wrote it while he waited for the _Invincible_ to be completed. His Senior Staff was pretty much carried over from the Enterprise, but the rest of the crew was new. I think he only commanded the _Invincible_ for two years." McCoy said as he thought back to what he remembered.

"It was a little less than two years." she corrected him softly. She had forgotten about the guide, she'd been there when Archer had written it. She nodded and sighed as she tried to keep herself focused on the here and now.

He looked over her carefully, "You know you're a great leader, right?" he questioned. "You inspired them tonight."

She smiled, "I try my best."

"Do you want me to call security and have them give you a ride to your housing?" he asked as they walked down the stairs.

"No, I'll be fine." she shook her head.

They stopped at the bottom of the dimly lit stairs.

"Will you call me when you get there?" he asked. "I worry." he admitted.

"Okay." she smiled.

He walked her to the entrance of the building and opened it for her, "Good night, Commander."

"Good night, Doctor." she replied and began her trek to her housing.

XXXXX

Fifteen minutes later, she arrived to her building and walked in.

"Hey, Donovan - are you just getting back?" a voice questioned from the living area.

She stopped and walked into the room. The room was dark, except the video screen that was showing a baseball game.

She recognized the dark figure sitting on the couch. It was Commander Markum, a fellow FCO and her biggest challenger.

"You and your team have been doing very well on all of the simulations recently." he commented.

"Yes, we have." she agreed, not understanding where the conversation was going.

He stood up, "I don't like being second." he pointed out as he approached.

"Then hopefully you planned your mission out well, or else you could be less than #2. Stevens, Piper, and Garrison's teams are close behind you." she stated and turned to leave.

"You're Vincent's favorite. He always gave you the best assignments." he snarled.

Donovan couldn't help but laugh. "Admiral Vincent hates me. He gave me the hardest assignments because he hoped I wouldn't come back." she stated and left him standing there flabbergasted.

XXXXX

Donovan went into her quarters and communiquéd McCoy.

"McCoy here." he answered quickly and went into the bathroom so Kirk couldn't hear his conversation.

"I'm home." she said as she kicked off her boots.

"Good. Thanks for calling. I'll sleep better knowing that you didn't get mugged walking across the campus." he admitted.

She grinned, "You think someone would really try and mug me?" she questioned.

"Someone could try." he shrugged as he got his tooth brush out.

She chuckled, "They would be in the hospital for a while wishing they hadn't." she sat down on her bed. "I'll see you in the morning." She closed her communicator.

She picked up her PADD and began to read over Admiral Archer's guide.

She had been reading for about ten minutes when she couldn't get over the feeling that something wasn't right.

_Why was Markum still up? _It was like he'd been waiting for her to show up tonight. It wasn't like him to make comments that could come back and bite him.

Unless. . . She quickly went to the hall and banged on Piper's door.

There was no answer. She tried three more FCO's doors and got no answer.

She went back to her room and opened her communicator, "Kirk, its Donovan."

Kirk rubbed his eyes tiredly and looked at the clock. It was 2356. He rolled his eyes, hadn't they just spent four hours going over their plan? He answered the call. "Is there a problem, Commander?" he asked.

"I think we're going to be mustered soon. Markum looks like he's been run over, and Piper and a few others are gone. When they come and get you, make sure to grab everything we talked about." she explained.

Kirk sat up quickly, "Do you want me to get everyone up?" he questioned and turned on the light.

Bones shot up in his bed, "What happened?" he demanded.

There was a banging on the door and McCoy walked over to answer it.

"What do you want?" he snapped.

The Ensign stepped back and looked at his PADD, "Cadet McCoy, Cadet Kirk, you are to report with your gear downstairs in ten minutes." he stated, then left.

"They're here." Kirk told Donovan. "See you soon, Commander." he said and closed the communicator and sprang into action. He quickly put on a clean uniform and grabbed his pack and threw in the items Donovan had requested. He looked around and saw McCoy get his pack ready.

"I'm going to go check on the others." he stated and left.

XXXXX

"What's wrong?" Commander Belk asked the other instructors as he came over quickly to the simulation control room.

Commander Peterson frowned, "They're actually working together. They're not constantly arguing with each other!" he banged his fist on the table. He'd been away for a few weeks at the Lunar Training Facility and he'd returned to bizzaro world. "What the hell happened?" he demanded to know. He looked at the other instructors.

Lt. Commander Atkin sighed, "Donovan and Kirk competed against each other at the AUF Competition."

"So?" Peterson questioned.

Belk crossed his arms across his chest, "So now they respect each other. They've lost that animosity they had. They've been working really well together the past few weeks." he pointed out.

Peterson walked to the window and looked down in the simulator room where Kirk and Donovan had just managed to come up with, yet another, new ground battle maneuver.

He turned back to the other instructors, "Split them up." he ordered.

Belk shook his head, "Sir, there's only a few more weeks of classes before the final simulations, the teams have been working together all semester."

Peterson stepped closer, "Mix all the groups up!" he bellowed and stormed out.

XXXXX

McCoy was sitting on the couch in the living area in his pt clothes, trying to slow his rapid heart beat back down to normal.

Donovan came over and handed him a water. "That was a good run." she smiled and wiped her brow with the towel.

He shook his head, "For an old man, you mean. I can't believe you talked me in to going for a run with you. I should have gotten Jim to go with you - he loves to show off."

She smiled, "Is it true that he's going to take the test for a third time?" She'd heard the rumor, but couldn't believe it. Nobody took the test that many times. The Kobyoshi Maru test was not meant to be won, it was more a test of character than anything else.

McCoy nodded, "Yes - don't remind me. He wants me there in the morning with him."

XXXXX

TBC

The next chapter will interact with the 2009 Movie and go from there.

Reviews are much appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or any of its characters.

Kaitlyn Donovan does belong to me. If you have read some of my previous stories, yes - this is the same Kaitlyn Donovan. She is half-human and half-El-Aurian.

Author's Note: This story focuses on what happens when Spock Prime reveals to Starfleet Command what happened in the Prime Universe, and the impact the information has on this universe.

**The Ripple Effect**

Chapter 2

Commander Kaitlyn Donovan frowned and watched as the shuttles took off.

There was a distress call from Vulcan, and all of the graduating cadets had been ordered to report for duty on the awaiting ships above Earth at Starbase 1.

She and her fellow FCO trainees were pissed. _They were not allowed to go_. They had been ordered to stay because their training was almost complete.

Donovan turned and headed back to the training facility.

Lt. Commander Piper walked up to her as they looked at all of the empty seats in the classroom.

"Well, it will be quieter." she tried to make light of the situation.

The rest of the FCO candidates entered and they gathered around.

"We could be out there helping, instead of sticking around here!" Commander Garrett complained.

None of them were used to sitting back and waiting for someone else to handle the situation.

The instructors entered the room together.

"It's just a rescue mission." Admiral Vincent, the head of Starfleet Intelligence came in and stated. He was one of the youngest Admirals in Starfleet at the age of 42.

"Come and sit down." he directed them.

They sat down, wondering why the Admiral they had all previously worked for was here, in front of them now.

"You've all been wondering why we selected you for this training." he began and sat on the edge of the desk at the front of the room.

"When we envisioned this position, we knew that we would have to have the right officers, with the right skills. We started listing all of those skills: the ability to read people quickly; recognize the little things that indicate people's motives; and the ability to question people, while not making it feel like an interrogation. Our people would need to have the ability to act polite, while investigating the new contact world discretely."

He looked at all of them, "We realized that our Intelligence Operatives had already been through all of that training."

"You are the 14 left. The best candidates for the job." he smiled softly. He indicated for the instructors to hand out the packages.

"We are going to go over the duties and responsibilities that you will have to the Captain of your the ship, and your responsibilities to us at Starfleet Command."

XXXXX

Donovan and Piper had gone to the chow hall to eat. They came out of the line and noticed that everyone was watching the video screens.

They sat down and listened to the update.

"We repeat again, that the planet Vulcan has been destroyed. A fleet of Starfleet vessels have also been destroyed. A few Vulcan ships managed to escape and we have gotten word that only one of the ships in that fleet remains, the U.S.S. Enterprise, commanded by Captain Christopher Pike. We will bring you the latest update as soon as we have more information." the reporter stated.

Donovan could fell the pit of her stomach turning. She felt like throwing up. She quickly took a sip of water.

Piper had her PADD out. She was searching the network to find out who had been assigned to what ship.

She frowned, most of the graduating class had just been wiped out - along with all of the Officers assigned to those ships.

Piper patted her friend's hand, "Come on, let's eat, then we'll see if they need any help at the Counseling center. They are going to be swamped making all of those calls to the families of those cadets."

Donovan nodded and they ate quietly.

XXXXX

Commander Kaitlyn Donovan sighed as she switched off the communication link. She'd just finished making her twentieth call and she felt drained.

And sick.

And mad.

She wanted to take down whoever had caused the destruction of Vulcan and all of those Starfleet vessels.

She got up and went to the rest room and splashed water on her face. She looked at herself in the mirror.

She was a take action type of person - not someone who just sits around and waits for an opportunity to present itself.

She decided she was done making calls.

She signed herself out and headed over to Starfleet Intelligence.

She hadn't realized that she'd been there all night - the sun was up and the lower classmen were heading to their morning classes quietly.

Donovan walked in and headed to the security desk. "Get me in to see Admiral Vincent, Lieutenant." she demanded in a calm voice.

The Lieutenant frowned, "Admiral Vincent is very busy at the moment, Commander Donovan."

She looked at him ridiculously, "Do you think I've come to chat? I've come to help!" she pounded her fist on the desk.

A Security guard stepped closer to her.

Donovan gave the guard a quick look and turned her attention back to the Lieutenant, "Call Admiral Vincent and tell him I'm here, please." she requested calmly.

He nodded and made the call. He spoke quietly, then listened.

"Admiral Vincent says to come back to the Situation Room." he stated and buzzed the door to unlock so that she could enter.

Donovan quickly walked down the corridor to the Situation Room and stepped in.

On the huge screen was a massive ship quickly approaching Earth. It was like nothing she'd ever seen before.

She walked up to the Admiral and stood beside him, "Is that the ship?" she asked softly.

He glanced at her and nodded, "Yes, and it will arrive shortly. We've just received a message from the Enterprise detailing all that they know and their plan. Go read it." he indicated the computer terminal a few feet away.

She moved quickly to the terminal and began to read the message.

When she finished reading, she sat back and glanced at the ship on the screen. _So, this was the renegade that had destroyed the U.S.S. Kelvin._ The one she'd been looking for - for twenty-five years. She took a deep breath and tried to control her anger. She got up and walked over to the Admiral.

They watched as Nero's ship dropped the mining drill into the Earth's atmosphere.

They felt the floor vibrate when the drill activated and started to drill through the San Francisco Bay's floor, very close to the Academy.

"I hope their plan works." the Admiral stated.

"Kirk has done well so far." she pointed out.

He agreed and they watched.

Less than ten minutes later, the small ship that Commander Spock was piloting cut through the drill line and it came crashing down into the Bay. A few moments later, he warped away and Nero's ship followed.

The Admiral sighed, "All right, all we have to do is wait and see if the rest of their plan will work." He told the rest of the Officers in the room. "Start checking for damage to the bay and the Earth's crust. Get that drill hauled up for examination."

They nodded and went back to work.

Admiral Vincent turned to Donovan and led her away from the earshot of the other Officers in the room.

"I think Kirk has just made a name for himself and he will be rewarded. We need an officer like him to Captain the Enterprise." he looked at her.

"We need you there as the FCO." he told her.

Donovan nodded that she understood.

He smiled softly at her, "You're the top of your class, Kaitlyn. You deserve to be on the best ship we have in the fleet." he touched her chin gently.

She stepped away, his hand dropping. Her eyes narrowed, "You used me to get your promotion. Don't for a second think that I'm going to forget that." she promised him.

He moved so that he was blocking the view of her to everyone else in the room. He grabbed her upper arm and tightened his vice grip.

"You will obey the orders you are given." he threatened her quietly.

Commander Donovan nodded and didn't even flinch as the pain seared up her arm. He'd just grabbed the same place that had been broken awhile back, "Of course I will. I don't disobey my superior officers." she pointed out.

_He_ had been the one that hadn't obeyed her orders years ago.

_He_ was the one that had put their lives in danger.

Admiral Vincent let go of her arm and stepped back.

"Sit at tactical and wait for word from the Enterprise."

Donovan nodded and went to the unoccupied station closer to the screen. She put on the head set and listened.

XXXXX

What seemed like an eternity later, they received the transmission from the Enterprise that Nero and his ship had been destroyed and they were heading back to Earth for repairs, at Impulse speed since they'd jettisoned their warp cores to escape the black hole that had formed when the Red Matter was ignited.

Kirk was requesting a tow, and also requested that a ship pick up a stranded Ambassador on Delta Vega.

They relayed the message to the Admiral.

He nodded and all of the other officers in the room looked relieved.

"Good job everyone. Now, as soon as they return, we need to debrief them on what happened." the Admiral stated.

He motioned to Donovan.

She got up and walked over to him. "Yes, Sir?" she asked.

"I'll send for you if we need your assistance. Focus on the last few weeks of your training." he ordered.

Donovan nodded and left.

XXXXX

Kirk's promotion ceremony was the next morning.

He'd been field promoted to Captain and was handed over the Enterprise by Admiral Pike.

Kirk's ceremony was quickly followed by the promotions of all of the rest of the cadets that had served on the Enterprise.

Donovan smiled at McCoy, "Commander McCoy - nice."

He shrugged, "I'm more pleased with my position as Chief Medical Officer on the Enterprise, than the rank." he admitted. "Can you stay for awhile?" he asked.

Donovan shook her head, "I've got class in half an hour. Some of us still have classes to attend." she pointed out.

XXXXX

"Commander Donovan." her FCO Advisor, Admiral Tellis called her over from the class door.

She came over to him quickly, "Yes, Admiral?" she asked. The much older looking officer never came to the classes himself, he always sent an Aide.

"You have been summoned to Starfleet Headquarters immediately." he told her quietly.

She looked at him questionably.

He shrugged, "They wouldn't tell me why. I'm coming with you." he reassured her as they started to walk to the large structure on the campus that held Starfleet Headquarters.

XXXXX

They were quickly led into a huge conference room.

There were five Admirals waiting for them. She immediately recognized the oldest Admiral - Jonathan Archer, the former captain of the _Enterprise_ NX-01 and the _Invincible_, and former Federation President. He was by far the oldest officer still in Starfleet at over one hundred and thirty years old. Everyone knew his position was mainly just a ceremonial one. Though he was old, he didn't look over eighty. _She wondered if he would recognize her._

"Commander Donovan, reporting as ordered." she reported in.

"Please." one of the other Admirals indicated for them to come and sit down closer to them.

They took their seats.

"We have been reviewing your files. You've had a very impressive career, Commander." Admiral Archer stated, he had a puzzled look on his face as he watched her closely.

"Do you have questions about my career?" Donovan asked them. She could predict no rhyme or reason why she had been summoned.

She looked quickly at Admiral Vincent.

Unless _he'd_ said something.

Admiral Vincent shook his head, "No, that's not why we've asked you here today." He indicated each man as he introduced them.

"This is Admiral Pike, Admiral Kraig, Admiral Durkin, and Admiral Archer." he stated.

He leaned back in his chair, "We've been reading your files because an Ambassador from 129 years in the future has requested you, _personally_, to debrief him." he watched for her reaction.

Donovan remained calm.

"What kind of debriefing does the Ambassador need?" she asked as she realized this must have been the Ambassador that had been stranded on Delta Vega.

"How many threats have they been made aware of?" Durkin asked Trellis.

"All FCOs know of the unclassified threats to the Federation." Admiral Tellis assured them.

Admiral Vincent spoke up, "Commander Donovan knows of the classified threats as well, because of the ops she did previously."

The Admirals nodded to each other.

Archer spoke up again, "Commander, we need as much detail as you can learn from the Ambassador." he said simply.

Donovan looked at each of the Admirals carefully. Outwardly they looked calm, but she'd just noticed the subtle ticks each one had that indicated their nervousness.

The Ambassador from the future must have told them to get her, or he wouldn't talk.

They must be unsure if she'd agree to debrief him.

"You all realize that the timeline has changed. Whatever information I gather would have to be taken with that single factor in mind." she pointed out.

"Yes, we realize that - but some threats to the Federation will be the same. It will be very interesting to compare the two timelines." Vincent stated.

She watched them carefully, "And what about the Prime Directive of Noninterference?" she asked.

_This could all just be a test as a First Contact Officer._

Admiral Pike spoke up, "That responsibility will be up to you and the Ambassador."

Commander Donovan sat back in her chair. She now understood their nervousness. They were entrusting her, putting faith in her that she hadn't earned with them yet. At least, not with a majority of them. She made her decision quickly and sat up, "I will debrief the Ambassador, but I have one request."

Admiral Durkin leaned forward, "What is your request?"

"That I am able to debrief the Ambassador around my classes, so that my certification in a few weeks is not delayed." she explained.

The Admirals nodded and smiled as they stood up.

"Granted." Archer stated.

"Now, where can I find the Ambassador?" she asked as she stood.

"Right here." a calm voice called from a few feet behind her.

She turned around slowly and watched as the older Vulcan walked to her.

"Kaitlyn Donovan, just as I knew you to be." the Vulcan said with a nod.

Admiral Archer smiled, "Commander Donovan, this is Ambassador Spock." Archer introduced.

"You approve of my request?" she asked the Vulcan.

He nodded.

Donovan turned to the Admirals, "Permission to leave and get started?" she requested.

"Permission granted." Archer nodded. Admiral Archer touched her arm to get her attention. "Please come to my office when you are finished speaking with the Ambassador." he requested.

_He remembered_, she thought to herself. "Yes, Sir." she nodded.

Commander Donovan and Ambassador Spock walked out of the building to a spot on the Academy green. They sat down on a bench.

They had been silent on the walk, no doubt deciding how to begin.

She turned to study him, "Ambassador Spock, do you have any questions for me before we begin?" she asked.

"Curious that you begin with such an offer." he stated, then he gazed into her eyes. "I would have thought that you would want to know how I know you - and thereby make the request that you are my debriefing officer."

_He was right. _Though she was pretty sure she knew.

"You will tell me, when you think I'm ready to hear it." she stated simply. "Do you have any questions?" she repeated.

"What will you write on?" he questioned.

"I have an eidetic memory. You will talk to me, and I will write my notes in the evening. You can read them while I'm in class."

Donovan turned to him fully, "You may tell me the names of people and ships as you remember, but I will not include them in my report. It would be too hard for Starfleet to know of events that could possibly happen, and not send a particular person or ship because of something mentioned in a report. The burden of specific names and ships will be ours alone." she promised him.

He gazed into her eyes again, "You are a fine officer, as I know you to be." he nodded to himself.

XXXXX

TBC. Reviews are appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or any of its characters.

Please refer to the Author's notes in Chapter 1.

Thank you to Just a Crazy-Man, Ataxia O'Rourke, and Kushina98 for the reviews and all of the readers following this story!

The Ripple Effect

Chapter 3

Starfleet Command - Admiral Archer's Office

Commander Donovan took a deep breath as she entered Admiral Archer's outer office.

The Admiral's Aide stood up, "He's expecting you, Commander Donovan." he waved for her to go in.

She stepped inside Admiral Archer's office and the door was quickly closed behind her. She waited for him to speak first.

Admiral Jonathan Archer looked up and shook his head slowly and ran a worried hand over his face, "I thought you were still on Vulcan when it was destroyed. When I inquired with the Vulcan Embassy, they said they had no records that you had left. Damn it, Kaitlyn - you've had a lot of us worried."

Archer walked around his desk and stood before her, "Why are you here as a Starfleet Officer?" he asked softly.

Kaitlyn Donovan sighed and shook her head, she'd never thought she would speak to her former Captain again - she'd never prepared herself for this conversation. _She had been assured that she wouldn't have any contact with anyone from her previous life._ She was pretty sure that Admiral Vincent didn't even know about her past because it was Section 31 that had set her new life up.

Archer frowned and indicated for her to sit down in one of the chairs. He sat down in the chair next to hers and waited.

He'd actually met her before the Enterprise NX-01 launched, when she'd helped thwart a plan to assassinate Admiral Forrest and destroy the Enterprise during the testing of the engines.

Ten years later, her unit had rescued Trip Tucker at the end of the Romulan War. Trip had become Michael Kenmore in order to keep his mission in the Romulan Warp Seven Program secret. Section 31 had worked up his background so that he could join the _U.S.S._ _Invincible_ crew as the Chief Engineer. Archer had been pleased that his friend could return to the work he loved.

_Major_ Kaitlyn Donovan had been his MACO Commanding Officer on the_ Invincible, _a _Daedalus _class vessel.

"I had started to do consulting work with Section 31 again while I was on Vulcan." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes tightly, "They approached me after my oldest grandson was killed on the _USS Kelvin_, I couldn't just sit on the sidelines anymore." She looked up at him, hoping that he'd understand her situation.

"So, they arranged for you to get a new identity?" he shook his head. He'd known that Section 31 had wanted her to work for them again, because of her unique situation. He just didn't know that they'd go this far.

"I went through Starfleet Academy, just like everyone else - then I went directly into Starfleet Intelligence. I've been tracking down items from Nero's ship that he'd been selling off." she explained.

He looked out the window at the Golden Gate Bridge and sighed. "What about your children? Your grandchildren and your great-grandchildren?" he questioned. "You're just going to let them think you died on Vulcan?"

She clenched her jaw and took a deep breath, "It will be easier on them this way." She tried to remain calm. "How many more of them am I supposed to watch die?" she asked softly. "I will outlive all of them." she pointed out.

He touched her arm gently, "I know you were very unsettled when you discovered that you were going to live for so long. I just never imagined this situation."

Kaitlyn sighed, "Neither did I." She looked at him and winced, "And now I know that I'm still alive 129 years from now, it's actually very depressing." she admitted. She tried not to think of how many more people she'd outlive - including the man in front of her.

He took a deep breath and decided to make the best of the situation. "Well, now that the cat is out of the bag - there's no reason for us not to catch up. Will you join me for dinner?" he asked and smiled softly.

"It would be my pleasure." she nodded.

XXXXX

"You have a wonderful home, Admiral. When did you move here?" Kaitlyn asked as she looked at all of his memorabilia on the walls.

"A couple of years ago - it's closer to work." he set the plates on the table.

She stopped short when she recognized the collage photo that Trip Tucker had made for each of them. It was from the vacation that all of the Senior Officers on the _Invincible_ had taken together after the Charter for the United Federation of Planets had been signed.

Archer walked over and smiled at the photo taken so long ago - when they had all been a lot younger. So much had happened since then.

She looked at him closely, "Do you regret it?" she asked.

He looked confused.

"Living this long?" she questioned him.

He shook his head, "Not at all. I've been a part of many things that helped shape Starfleet and the Federation." he watched her. "I must admit that people are beginning to wonder just how long I'm going to live."

She nodded in understanding.

The door buzzed and he grinned, "I called an old friend and invited him over." Archer went and answered the door.

Trip Tucker walked in and shook his head. "If I didn't see you with my own eyes, I'd say he was a liar." he grinned and hugged her tightly.

She was at a loss for words. "It's good to see you again, Trip." she said softly. His dalliance as a Romulan when he had been an undercover operative during the Romulan War had lengthened his life span and slowed down his own aging process.

_She had never contemplated all of this happening when she woke up this morning_. Her neatly packaged life was becoming unraveled at the seams.

Trip indicated the big brown sack that Jonathan Archer held in his hands, "I brought dinner, let's eat and talk about what you've been up to." he suggested.

XXXXX

Kaitlyn Donovan looked up from her coffee cup and smiled softly. _She missed them_. She missed their time on the_ Invincible_, when Starfleet had still been young and a bit naïve. She missed the lives they had working around Starfleet Command after they had all taken desk jobs.

"I'm sorry to end the evening, but I still need to dictate my notes from my conversation with Ambassador Spock this afternoon." she reminded herself and stood up.

Jonathon Archer and Trip Tucker followed suit.

Trip hugged her, "Don't think that this is the last time you'll see us." he told her pointedly.

She nodded, "Okay."

Archer walked her to the door.

Kaitlyn turned to him, "Thank you, Admiral." she smiled softly.

He sighed, "Jonathon. After all of these years, and everything we've been through - you should call me by my name."

She tilted her head slightly, "I'll try to remember to do that next time."

He smiled and wished her good evening.

XXXXX

0930 - _Enterprise_ Engine Room

Kirk shook his head, "How long is it going to take to get her up and running?" he questioned Scotty.

"Well, the new warp cores will be installed the day after tomorrow. Then it will take us about a week to repair all of the relays that got blown out when we ejected the other ones. The Dock Yards are repairing the damage to the hull, they figure it will take three weeks." Scotty mopped his brow with his hanky.

Jim Kirk frowned, "I was just hoping it wouldn't take so long." he admitted.

"We certainly don't want to leave before the ship is in tiptop shape - there's no telling what we'll encounter out there." Scotty pointed out.

Kirk grinned, "I know. I'll go see how Bones is doing and how the repairs are going there. You gonna eat lunch with us today - or are you just going to work through it like yesterday?" he asked.

Scotty smiled, "I'll stop and eat today. My stomach was fighting me last night after I finally ate."

Kirk popped his friend's arm, then headed out. He walked down the corridors and nodded to the repair crews that were fixing all of the damage Nero had inflicted. Most of the _Enterprise_ crew had been released from their normal duties to be able to recoup and attend all of the funerals taking place. He had attended three yesterday and he couldn't say that he looked forward to this afternoon when there were two more to attend. He took a deep breath as he rode the turbolift to Medical. He stepped out and went through the doors and smiled as he heard McCoy bellowing from his office.

"I don't care how low a priority you think Medical is! Get an engineering team down here to fix the damage. Do you want to tell Starfleet Command that the _Enterprise_ can't leave on time because Medical is not ready?" he demanded at the monitor.

The Commander on the other end sighed softly, "I'll send a crew over this afternoon to access all of the damage, Doctor." he promised.

"Good." McCoy ended the transmission, then looked up and saw Kirk leaning against the door frame.

"What's the problem?" Jim questioned.

"They said Medical is low priority, and they wouldn't even come and assess the damage until late next week. They don't understand! Half the biobeds aren't functioning properly, the surgical room has a whole wall knocked out, and the supply closet has nice view of the Botany lab below from the hole in the floor - which Nurse Chapel almost fell through." Bones crossed his arms and shook his head. "And that's just the major items on the list."

"They will get everything back up and running. Scotty said it's going to be about three weeks for all of the hull damage to be repaired." Jim watched as his friend muttered and walked around his desk and went out to the Medical bay.

"They'd better do a good job fixing the hull - this flying tin can had better not shake apart and break open at the seams." Bones shuttered at the thought of being sucked out into space to die.

Kirk glanced at his friend, "You heard from Kaitlyn?" he inquired.

Bones rolled his eyes, "She's been busy debriefing Ambassador Spock." _That was the other source of his irritation_. He'd grown accustomed to working with her in class and spending time studying. "Is it official yet that she's going to be our First Contact Officer?" he asked.

"Nothing is official until after they finish their certification next week." Jim shrugged slightly. "But, I think it's a sure thing."

Bones frowned, "Nothing in life is a sure thing, Jim - except death and taxes." he picked up his PADD and went over the repair list again.

XXXXX

Two days later: 1750 - Vulcan Compound

Commander Kaitlyn Donovan walked into the Vulcan Compound and smiled softly at the familiar heat that they kept the temperature at. She stopped at the Security desk and they checked her PADD, then handed it back to her.

"Ambassador Spock will be down shortly." the Sub Commander behind the desk informed her. "You may visit the garden, if you wish." he offered.

Donovan nodded and headed out the side door and noted how the gardens hadn't changed that much since the last time she'd been here, almost half a century ago.

"General?" a familiar voice questioned her.

She turned around slowly and noticed the look on the Vulcan's face, "Not anymore, Ambassador Sarek. I'm now a Commander in Starfleet." she explained as she walked over to him. She raised her hand in the Vulcan salute, "I grieve with thee, Ambassador."

Sarek nodded and watched the human before him carefully, "I thought you were still living on Vulcan." he finally said.

She clasped her hands gently behind her back, "Many people believe that, and I think it will be best if they continue to believe that. I came back to Earth twenty-five years ago to start a new career with Starfleet." she explained.

Sarek raised an eyebrow, "How is that possible when I have seen you on Vulcan at least five times in that period?"

"Ambassador, I still visited and I still spoke at the Vulcan Science Academy when requested." she frowned when she felt his hostility. "Ambassador, I did not mean to upset you."

Sarek watched as she turned to walk further down the path of the garden, "Wait." he requested.

Donovan stopped and turned back to the Ambassador. His eyes were sad, something he had always been able to control in the past.

Sarek motioned and they walked together down the path. He glanced at her, "The last time we spoke, we had a disagreement. I apologize that I reacted harshly to your suggestion then. I am . . . relieved that you are still alive, Commander." he stated.

Kaitlyn Donovan smiled softly, "I should not have stuck my nose where it didn't belong. I apologize for my behavior then."

Sarek nodded slightly, "I have found that my emotional control is still very taxed because of recent events." he admitted.

She frowned and stood still when she had a very heart stopping thought, "There are still Vulcan Priestesses alive - aren't there?" _Who would help them grieve? Who would perform their marriages?_

"Yes, a handful survived the destruction of Vulcan. Priestess T'Prel has helped me the past few days in coming to terms with the loss of my wife and of Vulcan." Sarek sighed softly and watched the human. "I did not realize how much pain you went through when your husband died unexpectedly, now I understand." They began to walk again down the path. "Does it get easier? Does the ache dissipate?" he questioned.

Kaitlyn tried to quell the feelings that often tried to overwhelmed her, "Sometimes when I wake in the morning, I expect him to be there - and then I remember that he is gone. My heart and mind still ache for my husband, but perhaps you will fare better since you are Vulcan."

"Perhaps." Sarek said softly, hoping that one day the ache for his wife would eventually become less painful. It dawned on him that she was here, at the Vulcan Compound for a purpose. "Whom are you here to see?"

A calm voice behind them answered the question, "She is here to speak with me, Father." Ambassador Spock stated as he walked over to them. He still found it slightly unsettling that this man was his father, but he would still address him as such.

Sarek raised an eyebrow, "I did not realized that you knew Commander Donovan."

Spock tilted his head slightly, "Where I am from, I knew her best as Ambassador Donovan and we worked well together. I requested Commander Donovan to be my Starfleet Debriefing Officer." he informed his father.

Sarek sighed, "So, you have decided to go ahead a reveal events from your universe. Do you think that is wise?" he questioned. It still gave him pause when he realized the man before him was a much wiser and older version of his son.

"Yes. There are certain events that need to be prepared for, especially since our home was destroyed - along with all of the scientific discoveries our people made in my past." Spock stated.

Sarek nodded in acceptance. He had to trust that Spock knew what he was doing. "Will you be staying for the evening meal?" he asked Donovan.

"Yes, Ambassador Spock and I eat our meal in the privacy of the Morning room, so that we can discuss my report after the meal." she explained to him.

Sarek raised an eyebrow, "I see I have missed much." he commented.

Spock took a deep breath, "You have not missed much, and you needed time to meditate and heal." he pointed out.

Sarek nodded to each of them, "Good evening." he said softly, then walked back into the Compound.

XXXXX

Ambassador Spock looked at Kaitlyn curiously as she sighed softly. He put his spoon down and watched as she frowned slightly as she set her water down. "Is there something wrong with your meal tonight?" he questioned.

She looked up quickly, realizing that she must have made some kind of noise, though she hadn't realized it. "My meal is fine, thank you." She raised an eyebrow when he continued to watch her.

"Though we have only known each other for less than a week here, I have known you for much longer." Spock stated. "You are despondent, and you have been for the past few days." he pointed out.

Kaitlyn nodded slowly, "I have been visiting with some of my old friends, and it is dredging up a lot of memories that I try to keep put away." she shrugged slightly.

"Are these memories troublesome?" he questioned her.

Kaitlyn took a deep breath, "Most of them are very good memories, I just try not to think about them."

"Why?" Spock was confused. _Why would she not want to recollect memories that were good?_

"Because it just reminds me that part of my life is over." she frowned. "How much do you know about me?" she asked hesitantly.

"I know you are an El-Aurian, though you do not make that publically known. In my universe, I do not meet you for another sixty years - after I became an Ambassador. You once told me that you were older than I, but you have never revealed exactly how old you are." he stated.

Kaitlyn nodded slowly, "So, there was no First Contact Officer on ships in your universe?" Kaitlyn questioned.

"No, though I think we would have benefited from one greatly." he watched as she contemplated the information. He decided to tell her how he knew of her when he came to Starfleet Command. "When I mindmelded with Jim in the cave on Delta Vega, I saw a memory of you working with him in a class, that is how I knew to request you as my Debriefing Officer - because I recognized you."

Kaitlyn smiled, "I hope it was a good memory - we had some pretty heated arguments in class." she admitted. She wanted to know something, but hesitated to ask.

Spock watched as she fingered her wedding band. "I had always assumed your husband had died possibly a decade before we had met, but I see now that it has been much longer than that."

Kaitlyn sighed softly, "It's been forty-eight years."

"You told me once that you and your husband were bondmates, how is that possible if neither of you are Vulcan?" Spock questioned.

She looked at him curiously, "I've never told you?" _she wondered why_. "El-Aurians blend in so well with other cultures because we can 'acquire' traits from those around us. Stay around a Tellerite long enough, and be able to argue like them. Stick around a Betazoid and be able to communicate empathically."

"You acquired Vulcan traits?" Spock was trying to digest the information quickly. "How did you survive your husband's death?"

"I almost didn't. I went on Sabbatical to Vulcan and the High Priestesses helped me deal with the situation." Kaitlyn explained.

Spock tilted his head slightly, "Before I left Vulcan to join Starfleet, my mother had mentioned there were a few Humans living on Vulcan - you were one of them?" he was trying to reconcile this in his mind.

Kaitlyn smiled softly, this was the first time she'd seen him confused. "Yes, though even before I came, Admiral Kenmore lived with Ambassador T'Pol at their home when they weren't on Earth, and Prime Minister Soval lived with his wife." she pointed out.

"You knew Prime Minister Soval and Ambassador T'Pol?" his brows went into his hairline. "You are much older than I realized. Did you know my grandfather, Skon?" Spock questioned.

"Yes, I got along with him well, though not as well as I got along with Soval and T'Pol. Administrator T'Pau and I have always been cordial with one another over the years. Your father and I have not gotten along so well." Kaitlyn admitted.

Spock watched her carefully. _Though he thought he had known her well_, he realized that she had not revealed everything to him. It was disconcerting.

"I'm sure that I did not reveal my earlier life to you because, as I said, that part of my life is gone and I don't like to dwell on it. I apologize if you feel deceived - I know that was not my intention." she said.

Spock shook his head slightly, "I did not question you about your past, and you gave me plenty of opportunities. I now understand some of the comments you made, and also realize now how you got along so well with all of the species we worked with." he stated. He noted that she had not eaten any more since they had started talking, "Are you finished, or would you like some more?"

Kaitlyn smiled, "No, thank you - I'm finished."

Spock stood and moved the dishes to the cart and pushed it to the other side of the room. He came back and poured each of them a cup of hot tea, then pulled out his PADD as she brought hers out.

"Are there any corrections I need to make to my report so far?" she questioned him.

"No, you have done a remarkable job in keeping the information succinct. Where shall we begin this evening?" he asked, then took a sip of tea.

"You mentioned V'ger this afternoon. Do you think there is any connection to it and the Borg?" she inquired.

Spock's eyebrows raised, "There has been no connection made between the two." He watched her carefully, "Though I agree that Starfleet needs to be prepared for an encounter with the Borg, you are showing an increased desire to know more about them." he noted. He had mentioned the various high threat species yesterday, to give her a base of knowledge before they had started with the Enterprise's first five year mission.

"I realized after you described them yesterday, that they are the cyborg creatures that the NX-01 encountered." she showed him a photo of one of the creatures. "The Borg transmitted a signal to the Delta Quadrant, giving them Earth's coordinates a hundred years ago. I am greatly concerned." she frowned. "Did I not show an increased desire to know more about them in your universe?" she questioned him.

Spock nodded and handed the PADD back to her, "Indeed you did. You worked with Starfleet Command closely, especially after Voyager returned from the Delta Quadrant. Why are you so focused on them?"

Kaitlyn frowned and took a slow sip of her tea. _How could she not have told him? Perhaps because he would think she had a vendetta? _

Spock steepled his fingers, _obviously she had held other information from him and was deciding what to say. _He had seen her do this a few times when questions had been asked of her. He had always thought she was just deciding on how to present the information, but now that he saw her like this - _maybe she had been deciding on what information to leave out of a conversation._

Kaitlyn looked at Spock carefully, "My father was part of the Arctic Six Expedition that was assimilated when two of the Borg were discovered and thawed out. So, you see - I have a vested interest in the Borg." He was quiet. She frowned again, "Maybe I should leave and give you some time to meditate on all of the information I have told you tonight. You have learned about a part of me that I obviously choose to keep from people. I'm sure it is very disconcerting." she stood up.

Spock rose as well, "Yes, I should meditate." he agreed.

"I will get my notes ready from this afternoon and give them to you before my class tomorrow." she assured him.

Spock walked her to the entry of the Compound, "I will meet you before your class." he agreed.

"Good night, Ambassador Spock." Kaitlyn nodded and left quickly. She managed to walk a block, then she sat down on a bench. She closed her eyes tiredly and swallowed hard. She wanted to cry - something she hadn't done in a very long time. Her head hurt. Last week her life had been going along just fine. And then, bam! Everything was quickly falling apart. She'd probably alienated herself from Ambassador Spock when he'd learned about her past that she had kept from him. She opened up her communicator, "Hey, it's me. How would you like to grab a cup of coffee with an old woman?" she questioned.

Trip Tucker chuckled softly over the communicator, "I'll meet you at the Coffee Haus in ten minutes."

She closed the communicator and started to walk to the coffee shop that had been around for almost a hundred years, it had just changed owners a few times. She arrived shortly and smiled when she saw Trip walking from the other direction. "I was afraid you'd already be asleep old man." she jested.

Trip laughed quickly, "Look who's talking - you're only a few years younger than me." He opened the door and waved for her to go in first. They ordered their coffees, then headed to a secluded table. He stirred the sugar and creamer in his coffee, "So, what's wrong?" he asked pointedly.

"What makes you think that something's wrong?" she questioned and sipped her coffee.

Trip shook his head, "Do you know how hard it was for me to not tell Jon that you were in Starfleet all these years? It's bad enough that your son had me come bring you in for Section 31 from Vulcan, and I couldn't tell Jon anything! You and I have only seen each other a few times in these twenty-five years - and now all of a sudden you call me to meet you for coffee? I know something's wrong, Kaitlyn." his nostrils flared.

"Evidently, I had never told Ambassador Spock about my earlier life." Kaitlyn stated as she wrapped her hands around her cup, the warmth seeping through to her hands.

"And you told him today?" he guessed. "How did he react?"

"He was quiet. I told him about my father, too." she frowned and shook her head slowly. She didn't want to think about it right now and decided to change subjects. "How are T'Mir and Lorian doing?" she asked him softly.

"They're doing okay. Luckily, T'Mir and her family are here visiting and Lorian is working on the newest ship out at Utopia Planetia ship yards. I don't know what I would have done if they'd been on Vulcan." he admitted to his friend.

Kaitlyn smiled softly, "I'm glad they're okay, Trip."

He nodded slowly and sat back, "So, you've learned a lot so far?"

She sipped her coffee and swallowed, "Yes, and we've only gotten to about twenty-five years from now." she stated. "Would you be willing to work with Ambassador Spock? There are some engineering specs and some devices I'm having trouble understanding, I think you'd understand them better."

Trip nodded, "Do you think he'd be willing to work with me?" the Vulcan had been very insistent that he would only accept Kaitlyn for his Debriefing Officer, at least that's what Jon had told him the other day.

"I think so, this doesn't have to do with the timeline, just technology from Vulcan. I'll suggest it to him tomorrow, that is - if he still wants to work with me." she shrugged. She had thrown him off balance with the information she had revealed to him tonight, she just hoped she hadn't permanently damaged their relationship.

"He'll meditate on it and reconcile everything he learned and he'll be fine in the morning - you know how Vulcans are." he grinned that charming smile of his.

"So how are you handling having T'Mir and her two sons living with you?" she asked.

"Well, it's not like they're always underfoot. I see them at breakfast, and then they all head off to the Vulcan Compound to work, then they come home for the Evening meal. Tavin and Vanik still don't know if their fiancées made it off Vulcan in time." he explained.

Kaitlyn frowned, "Can they not feel them through their bond?"

Trip shrugged, "They don't talk to me about it - so I don't know." He wished they would talk to him about it, he'd understand. But, he got the feeling that they didn't think he would - since he was human.

"Well, bring it up during the Evening meal." she suggested.

"And break the silence of the meal?" he raised an eyebrow.

Kaitlyn grinned, "If you're going to talk about a taboo subject, you might as well break as many etiquette rules as you can."

Trip chuckled softly, "I've missed you, Kaitlyn. I miss getting together at your house every Sunday for dinner."

"That was a very long time ago." she said softly. "You know," she looked up at him, "maybe we should get together for dinner on Sundays again, at least until I'm assigned a ship." she suggested.

"Sounds good to me, and I know Jon would like it, too." Trip smiled.

Kaitlyn took a deep breath and looked at her watch, "I guess I'd better go."

"Getting too late for you, old woman?" he nudged her.

"No, I still have work to do tonight - and I've got a test tomorrow in class." Kaitlyn said as they headed out the door.

XXXXX

TBC.

Reviews are much appreciated!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or any of its characters.

Please refer to the Author's notes in Chapter 1.

Thank you to Just a Crazy-Man, Obsessive66, AngelQueen, Ataxia O'Rourke, and Kushina98 for the reviews and all of the readers following this story!

The Ripple Effect

Chapter 4

0750 - Starfleet Advanced Academy

Ambassador Spock approached the building quietly as he gazed over the Academy Green. He nodded as he recognized Commander Donovan already waiting for him. "It is pleasing to see you this morning." he stated.

Commander Kaitlyn Donovan smiled as they sat down on a bench outside the building, "I hoped that my revelations last night had not permanently damaged our relationship." she admitted.

Ambassador Spock looked at her closely, "I researched your past life before I meditated last night. You were instrumental in many important events at the beginnings of the Federation. I believe that if you had told me of your past when we met in the future, I would not have imparted my knowledge to you - I would have been seeking your guidance. That is not what you wanted. I believe I understand your reasoning." he said.

"Thank you for understanding." Kaitlyn pulled out her PADD and handed it to him, "I have a suggestion, that I hope you will consider. I do not understand some of the designs you have described to me, retired Admiral Kenmore is an outstanding Engineer that I think would understand. Would you consider working with him on those designs?" she questioned.

Ambassador Spock thought carefully, "Admiral Kenmore was married to Ambassador T'Pol, so he is a Vulcan citizen." He nodded slowly, "I believe it would be fitting. How do I contact him?" he questioned.

Kaitlyn smiled and touched an icon on the PADD, "I put him in the contacts list." She stood up and the Ambassador followed suit. "Where would you like to meet this afternoon?"

Ambassador Spock pondered the question, "Allow me to meet with Admiral Kenmore this morning. I will send you a message, if that is agreeable with you."

She nodded, "That's fine. I'll see you after lunch, Ambassador." She headed into the classroom and sat down in the desk in front of Piper.

Piper looked up from her PADD, "Did you get a chance to study last night?" she inquired.

Kaitlyn sighed softly, "For a little while - I figure if I don't know it by now, it won't matter how much I try to cram. Besides, Commander Belk said it would encompass everything we learned this semester." she shrugged.

Piper nodded and turned her PADD off, "So, have you been able to talk to McCoy and Kirk?" she asked quietly and leaned closer to her friend.

"Only a few communiqués, but McCoy is going to come over and visit later tonight." Kaitlyn admitted to her friend. She not only missed working with him in class, but also studying with him in the evenings.

"So, are you two going to step up your relationship now that you're both Commanders?" the younger woman whispered.

Kaitlyn patted Piper's arm, "It's sweet that you want everyone to be happy, Piper - but I've already had my happily ever after." she reminded her.

Piper frowned, "I know you loved your husband - I'm just saying that you deserve to be happy, and not so sad." she pointed out.

"I'm not sad." Kaitlyn stated firmly.

Piper watched her friend. The woman exuded a quiet, contemplative attitude that most people mistook for arrogance, but in reality Kaitlyn kept everyone around her an arm's length away. Kaitlyn didn't let people get to know her, but she was a great listener and she got to know everyone else. Maybe Kaitlyn just wasn't ready for another relationship yet. "Okay." Piper shrugged.

Kaitlyn had seen Piper's changing expressions, and then a realization wash over her friend's face. "Why do you ask? McCoy and I are only friends."

Piper raised an eyebrow skeptically, "You're kidding - right?"

"I don't understand." Kaitlyn admitted.

"You are the only person McCoy smiles around - the only one he doesn't growl at and hurl sarcastic remarks to." Piper explained.

"I think that's just because I'm not as young as the rest of you." Kaitlyn stated.

Piper grinned, "I don't think that's the reason."

They looked up as more of the First Contact Officer Candidates came in and took their seat, followed shortly by the instructors.

Kaitlyn didn't have any more time to contemplate Piper's statements. The instructors quickly passed out the exams and they all began to take the test.

When she finished her test, she handed it in and exited the room quietly.

Commander Belk was waiting outside for her, "How do you think you did on the exam?" he questioned.

"I got all of the multiple choice questions correct, I'll just have to see how the essays are received by the evaluators." Kaitlyn stated.

"Do you think it was a fair assessment of what you have learned about being a First Contact Officer?" Belk asked.

"It is an assessment of how much information I have retained, based on what has been instructed. I have learned much more than what was evaluated on this test." she pointed out.

Belk nodded slowly as he watched her, "Well, the simulation test coming up next week will most assuredly test the rest of your skills." he promised.

Kaitlyn nodded, "I look forward to the challenge. Have a good day, Commander." She excused herself and headed out across the Academy Green. She pulled out her PADD as the message came in from Ambassador Spock that he would be working the rest of the day and evening with retired Admiral Kenmore, and that he would see her tomorrow afternoon at the Vulcan Compound.

She quickly sent a communiqué to McCoy and told him she was officially off duty until tomorrow and asked him if he wanted to go out to dinner, instead of just coming over.

A few moments later her communicator beeped and she answered it, "Donovan here."

"Are you really off, or are you pulling my leg?" McCoy questioned her.

Kaitlyn smiled, "I really am off until my meeting tomorrow afternoon." she admitted.

"If you come up here and help me, I'll be done faster." he suggested.

"Okay, I'll be up there in just a little bit." she closed the link and headed to the transporter facility. She was actually excited to be able to go look around the _Enterprise_. She'd scoured all of the designs she could find, she knew what it looked like - but to actually go and look around would be great. In all likelihood, she would be assigned on the _Enterprise_ - she'd been told as much.

She materialized on the _Enterprise_ and nodded to the Vulcan waiting on her arrival. "Good morning, Commander Spock, it is agreeable to finally meet you." she raised her hand in the Vulcan salute, "I grieve with thee."

Commander Spock nodded and returned the gesture, "Thank you, Commander Donovan - it is agreeable to meet you as well." he waved for her to proceed out the door and into the corridor. "I have spoken with Ambassador Spock and he says that you have done a remarkable job as his Debriefing Officer. I believe he finds you a most capable Officer." he commented as they stepped into the turbolift.

"He is a remarkable man. I hope, for the most part, that history repeats itself." Kaitlyn stated.

Commander Spock raised an eyebrow, "Have you gotten far into your debriefing?" he inquired.

"We have gone over the biggest threats to the Federation, and we have gone up to twenty-five years from now." she explained.

"Have you noticed many similarities?" he asked as they got off the lift.

"Many, though a lot of things are happening sooner in this Universe." she nodded as they walked down the corridor.

"Have you a theory as to why?" Commander Spock stopped before they entered Medical.

"I believe that Nero's appearance in this Universe has accelerated many things, I am gathering evidence to submit with my Debriefing report." Kaitlyn explained.

"If you need any help with collecting your research, I am available. At the moment, my duties are seeing to the repairs of the ship, which does not take up much of my time." Spock offered his services.

Kaitlyn smiled, "Thank you, Commander. I will make up a list of queries for you to research."

Spock nodded and waved for her to go through the doors.

"How many times do I have to tell you that you can't keep going around and getting plasma burns to your hand!" they could hear McCoy bellow as they entered. "Don't you have protective gloves to wear when you're welding?" he questioned.

"Yes, Doctor - but it makes the job take twice as long because they are so cumbersome." came the reply.

"Either wear the damn gloves, or be face being taken off duty because of the permanent damage that will be done to your hands - the choice is yours, Lieutenant." McCoy growled and came out from behind the curtain. He looked up and his scowl turned into a wide grin as he saw Kaitlyn.

McCoy walked over to her, "It's good to see you, Kaitlyn."

A loud crash of medical tools sounded as they hit the ground. They looked over and saw Nurse Chapel quickly picking up the dropped tray. "I'm sorry, Doctor - I'm just not used to seeing you . . ."

McCoy cut her off, "I can be nice to people." he stated loudly.

The Nurse nodded and quickly went back to the dropped medical equipment.

McCoy glanced at Spock, "Thanks for escorting Commander Donovan here." he said, effectively dismissing the Vulcan.

Spock raised his eyebrow at the Doctor's attitude. _He had never noticed the man smile as broadly as he had a moment ago_. This was something new to meditate on. He turned to Donovan, "I will be looking forward to researching the list you send me. Good day, Commander."

Donovan nodded, "Thank you, Commander Spock." She turned and watched McCoy carefully as the Vulcan First Officer left.

McCoy guided her by her elbow into his office, "Better come in here so more equipment doesn't end up having to be sterilized again." he commented. He leaned against the edge of his desk, "So, you've got the rest of the afternoon and evening off?" he grinned again as he crossed his arms.

Kaitlyn smiled, "Yes, now what is it that you wanted me to help you with?" she inquired.

"Actually," he shrugged, "I don't have anything to do - I just wanted you to come up here." he admitted.

She stepped closer to him and raised an eyebrow, "You know, most men that pull my chain get knocked out." she reminded him.

McCoy winced, "Come on, Kaitlyn. I know you wanted to take a tour of the _Enterprise_."

"Are _you_ going to give me the tour?" she questioned.

"I'm a Doctor, not a tour guide." he snapped, then calmed down as he glanced over her expression. "But, for you - I'll be a tour guide."

Kaitlyn smiled and patted his arm gently, "Thank you."

They made their way through the ship and stopped at each of the important places, and headed for the Bridge last.

The doors opened and Kaitlyn took a quick survey of the area before she stepped out.

"Well, look at what the cat drug up!" Jim Kirk grinned as he walked over to them. "What do you think? She's an awesome ship." he stated proudly.

Kaitlyn couldn't help but smile at Jim's excitement over his ship, "It is a very powerful ship." she nodded.

Jim gave a quick glance at Bones and grinned devilishly, "How did you manage to get Bones to give you a tour?" he inquired.

"I might have threatened him for bringing me up here on false pretenses." Kaitlyn shrugged.

Jim glanced at Bones, "Really? What did he say to get you up here? I thought you were busy debriefing Ambassador Spock."

"I am. I'm off until tomorrow afternoon. McCoy here said he needed my help with something before we went out tonight. Evidently, he just wanted me to come here." Kaitlyn smiled as McCoy shifted uncomfortably under their watchful gazes.

"I am right here, you know." McCoy reminded them.

Kirk walked around his best friend slowly, "You two are going out tonight?" he asked softly.

McCoy turned around to Jim, "Don't mess this up for me." he threatened in a whisper.

Jim popped McCoy's arm, "I won't - but you owe me." he grinned. Kirk smiled at Kaitlyn, "Have fun tonight!" he quipped, then headed for his office.

Kaitlyn watched as Jim left, then turned to McCoy curiously, "What do you owe him?"

McCoy frowned, "Come on." he guided her back to the lift, then they headed to his quarters. He indicated for her to take a seat on the couch as he went past the half bookcase, half frosted glass wall to his bedroom that was on the other side of the living room.

Kaitlyn sat down on the couch and took note of the club chair and the small circular table with four chairs, "These quarters are bigger than any of the other Starfleet ships I've been on." she commented.

"Where do you want to go tonight?" McCoy asked from the bedroom.

"Somewhere that I can sit down and eat a nice meal - not just Dining Hall food." She really didn't care, she'd just missed his company. She decided to broach the subject that Piper had brought up earlier. "Piper said something funny in class this morning before our exam."

McCoy came out from the bedroom as he buttoned up his shirt, "I don't remember Piper having a sense of humor, what did she say?" he asked as he sat down beside her and tied his shoes.

"She insinuated that you care for me more than other people because you smile when you're around me." Kaitlyn stated.

He looked at her and frowned, "How is that funny?" he was starting to get nervous. He did like her, but if she thought it was funny - he was going to have to rethink the situation.

"Not funny 'hahah', funny that she said something like that." Kaitlyn explained.

Leonard McCoy watched her thoughtfully, "I do smile when I'm around you. I do care for you." he admitted.

Kaitlyn nodded slowly. This complicated things - and her life had already become overly complicated recently.

McCoy touched her shoulder gently, then tucked a few stray hairs back behind her ear, "I know how old you are, if that's what's bothering you." He smiled when she raised an eyebrow at him in question. "You had told me before that your husband had been a Tactical Officer, a Captain, and then an Admiral at the Weapons R&D Complex. I figured if I found him, I'd find you. I did. You both had very impressive careers." he stated. "I know your father was human, what species was your mother?" he questioned.

"El-Aurian."

"Haven't heard of them."

"First Contact has not officially been made with them, and they prefer to stay out of the databases." Kaitlyn explained.

"What is the average life span of an El-Aurian?" McCoy asked.

"Over seven hundred years." she sighed softly.

McCoy nodded, "So, 700 divided by - what you're almost 140 - so basically you're twenty years old."

Kaitlyn's brows furrowed, she hadn't thought about her age in El-Aurian terms before. She understood what he was getting at, "I'm still old enough to be your . . . "

He put his finger gently on her lips to stop her, "I think species that live as long as yours has to learn to live in the now, not the past." he pointed out.

"Live in the now." she repeated as he removed his finger. "How long have you known?"

"A few weeks after I met you." he shrugged.

"And yet, you didn't say anything?" she frowned.

"We all have things in our past we don't want to talk about." McCoy said. "Kaitlyn, I do care about you a lot - but I'm not going to ruin our friendship because of how I feel. I like being around you, I'm comfortable around you. Do you understand that I'd rather have our friendship stay the way it is, than have nothing at all?" he inquired.

Kaitlyn nodded slowly and swallowed hard. She really did like him, it was just difficult to accept that she could care about someone other than her husband. She looked up at him slowly, "I'll try to live in the now."

McCoy smiled again, "That's all I can ask for." he stood up and offered her a hand. "How about we go to Madame Chang's, then we can get some coffee later?" he suggested.

She smiled, "That sounds wonderful."

XXXXX

1600 - Vulcan Compound

Ambassador Spock looked on as Admiral Kenmore made the final adjustments. They stood back as he touched the button, "Tea, Earl Grey. Hot." Trip requested.

Trip grinned as the replicator produced a cup of the requested hot tea. He handed the cup to the Ambassador.

Ambassador Spock took a slow sip, then sighed. He nodded, "You have done an amazing job this afternoon in creating this. You are truly a gifted Engineer."

"I just took what ya told me and put it together. This is going to change a lot of things." Trip pointed out.

"Yes, it will even the odds for many worlds." Ambassador Spock nodded slowly. "You will be able to draw up the schematics?" he inquired.

Trip grinned, "Not a problem."

"Good. Tomorrow morning, if you are agreeable, I would like to instruct you as to how to design the industrial sized replicator." the older Vulcan said.

"I can get us a lab reserved in the Engineering Complex." Trip agreed. He looked at the older Vulcan, "I wanted to thank you for trusting me to work with you."

Ambassador Spock nodded, "Kaitlyn trusts you, therefore I trust you. I have read over your service records and have found them to be most interesting. If my instincts are correct - you actually served on the NX-01 _Enterprise_." he raised an eyebrow in question.

Trip cleared his throat, "I'm not allowed to talk about that, Ambassador." Then he shrugged, "But, your instincts are right." Everyone that had been involved in his undercover work in the Romulan Warp Seven program was long gone.

"I invite you to dine here with me tonight, I would like to know more about your time on the _Invincible_." Ambassador Spock invited.

"I'd be honored, Ambassador Spock." Trip grinned.

XXXXX

TBC.

Reviews are much appreciated!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or any of its characters.

Please refer to the Author's notes in Chapter 1.

Thank you to Just a Crazy-Man, Obsessive66, AngelQueen, Ataxia O'Rourke, Kushina98, and Emberka-2012 for the reviews and all of the readers following this story!

The Ripple Effect

Chapter 5

1300 - Engineering Complex, Starfleet Command

Commander Kaitlyn Donovan walked into the Complex and made her way down to one of the massive hangers that Engineers could tinker in and build their projects. She hoped that Ambassador Spock's request for her to meet him here meant that he was working well with Trip. She walked in and smiled as she watched seven Engineers working around a large structure they were building. She waved to Trip as she saw him working, then she spotted Ambassador Spock and headed in his direction.

Ambassador Spock looked up from his PADD as she approached, "It is pleasing to see you, Commander." he nodded.

Kaitlyn smiled, "I see that you have been busy in my time off." she observed.

He nodded, "Admiral Kenmore is very talented. He built a replicator yesterday, and today they are building an industrial sized one." Spock explained.

Donovan raised an eyebrow as she turned fully to him, "The replicator? That was not introduced for quite awhile down the road." she pointed out to him.

Spock nodded, "That is true - but events have occurred here that could prevent it from being created at all. This is one technology that can help many worlds that still struggle for the basic necessities to survive." he pointed out.

Kaitlyn frowned slightly, "Don't you think someone else could have invented it? This timeline has been very creative with putting people and events together - Chekov, for example. He wasn't supposed to join the Enterprise crew now - but yet, here he is." She sighed softly. It's not that she didn't agree with his decision with having the replicator created, she just wondered what the implications would be down the line.

Ambassador Spock's thought processes faltered slightly. _Had he just done the wrong thing? Should he have not had Kenmore construct the replicator? _He studied Kaitlyn's face as a myriad of expressions washed over her. He held her opinion in the highest regard, "Should I have them stop?" he questioned.

She slowly looked over to the replicator being built and bit her lip slightly as she mentally ran through all of the possible uses for the replicator and how it could help so many people, and weighed the possible problems she could foresee. With the introduction of the replicator, worlds that had struggled for centuries could be transformed overnight. _But, what if that struggle for survival is what made their society strong? How would it impact their world's growth?_ They would have to follow the Prime Directive to the letter, no society could be given this technology before they were at the appropriate developmental level. Though, there would always be smugglers and black markets that could sell the technology. There were too many variables to account for, she would have to discuss the possible problems with Admiral Archer later. She shook her head as she finally looked back at the Vulcan Ambassador, "No, they should continue their work. What other technology will you be having built?" she questioned.

Ambassador Spock handed her a PADD.

Commander Donovan read over the list carefully and noted that all of the items were scientific and medical in nature. "Nothing to advance the engines, or weapons?" she inquired as she looked up at the Vulcan carefully.

He pulled his shoulders back slightly, "No, those creations will come about in their own time."

Kaitlyn nodded, "I'm sure they will." She knew he was riddled with guilt - he blamed himself for this Universe's troubles that had been caused when Nero had ended up here. He was trying to even out the odds. "Do you still want to speak with me?" she questioned him.

Ambassador Spock nodded, "Yes, I have much to tell you today." They walked over to a table across the room and sat down. He folded his hands together and studied her, contemplating how to begin. "Certain events, should they occur - must be allowed to take place." he began.

XXXXX

Kaitlyn swallowed hard as she opened the door to her quarters after the chime rang. She'd called McCoy and asked him to bring dinner.

McCoy had been slightly thrown off when Kaitlyn had requested that he come to her quarters at the Advanced Academy. His smile dimmed when he saw the expression on her face, "What's wrong?" he demanded as he quickly brushed past her, then set the sack of food on the table and turned back to her.

Kaitlyn quickly tried to school her expression, "Nothing's wrong right now." she reassured him.

He cocked his head, he hadn't missed the words she'd chosen. "But something will be wrong? What did that old hob-goblin tell you this afternoon to get you upset?" he questioned and held onto her arm gently.

She should have known that he would zero in on the root of the problem, "Let's eat dinner." she requested.

McCoy grumbled, but went over to the bag and pulled out the barbeque food she's requested. The wonderful aromas almost made him forget that she was upset.

Kaitlyn got out plates and silverware, then poured them each a glass of iced tea. She sat down and McCoy quickly handed her the container with the ribs. They quickly exchanged all of the containers until their plates were full. She smiled after she took a bite of the ribs, "I've missed this - haven't had it in so long." she admitted to him.

McCoy raised an eyebrow, "How long?" he asked, then ate a spoonful of baked beans.

"At least forty-eight years." she shrugged. When she and her husband had hosted Sunday dinner at their house, they had barbeque on the menu occasionally. _She didn't want to dwell on the past_. "Thanks for bringing dinner over." she smiled, then focused on the food.

Leonard McCoy nodded slowly, "You might not be thanking me later, it could upset your stomach." he pointed out. He took a sip of tea, "What do you want to talk to me about?" he questioned as she continued to eat. They'd had a good time last night at dinner, but he could tell that tonight's conversation was not going to be so easy.

She put her food down and wiped her hands, "What if you knew about events that were going to happen - that people would die, but you'd taken an oath not to influence others or interfere?" she questioned.

McCoy sat back, "Kaitlyn, I'm a Doctor - I wouldn't have taken that oath. I have a duty to intervene and interfere with death." he stated and watched as she closed her eyes and frowned. "But that's why Ambassador Spock didn't pick me to be his Debriefing Officer."

"He could have picked Jim." she countered.

McCoy shook his head and laughed, "No way! Jim would have taken the oath, learned as much as he could, then he would have done everything possible to right all of what he perceived to be wrong - Ambassador Spock knows that's how Jim is, no matter what Universe." he pointed out to her.

Kaitlyn looked back at McCoy, "Why didn't he confide in Spock?" she asked.

He reached across the table and tapped her hand lightly, "Our Spock has been emotionally compromised. He might be a Vulcan, but he's also Human. I think the destruction of Vulcan is going to impact a lot of his decisions from now on. Ambassador Spock realizes that fact." He held her hand when she offered, "Kaitlyn, he picked you for a reason - have you asked him why?"

She nodded, "He said that I could handle the responsibility." Kaitlyn sighed, "He said that since I can see the connection between events, I'll know when it might be prudent to interfere, and when some events just have to happen." She released his hand and then took another sip of tea. She knew that Ambassador Spock was right, but that didn't make it any less difficult to live with what she knew. _If the Botany Bay was discovered by Kirk and his crew, events would more than likely unfold the way they had in the other Universe - and further down the road, Spock would sacrifice himself to save the crew of the Enterprise, only to be recovered later in time to help save Earth from the probe looking for Humpback whales_._ Kirk would die saving the Enterprise B at its launching, Sulu would go on to command his own Starship, and Scotty would put himself in a transporter buffer and be recovered by the crew of the Enterprise D. Ambassador Spock mentioned that McCoy would live to see the Enterprise D for himself, but he didn't give up any other details about McCoy's life. Ambassador Spock had refused to talk about Chekov or Uhura - she wasn't sure why. _She glanced at McCoy and noted he was watching her intently. She gave him a small smile, "I didn't mean to dump all of this on you - I really did just want to have dinner with you."

McCoy smiled, "I'm glad you invited me over, and I'm flattered that you feel you can talk to me about what's bothering you - even though you can't tell me specifics." He looked at their food, "Finish up, then maybe we can watch a movie." he suggested.

Kaitlyn raised an eyebrow in surprise, "I didn't think you liked to watch movies."

"I don't, usually. But, for you I will - even if it's one of those sappy chick flicks." he shrugged and started to eat again.

Kaitlyn nodded and briefly wondered if she was interfering with this Universe by being here and being Ambassador Spock's Debriefing Officer - because obviously none of this had happened in the other Universe. She had mention her apprehension to Ambassador Spock and he had quickly pointed out that there was a reason she was here, he wasn't sure why yet - but he knew there was a reason. She went back to eating her dinner and quietly contemplated why she would possibly need to be here, at this point in time.

XXXXX

1300 - Nine days later, Starfleet Headquarters

Donovan sat outside the Conference room and waited. She felt the edges of her PADD to calm her restlessness.

She had turned in her initial report to the Admirals two days ago and had been waiting for them to summon her. They had called for her to come directly after her last class, _her very last class_ of FCO training.

She stood up and went to the window and looked out at the Academy Green. She knew she had done a good job, but she felt like she was going to have to defend a dissertation again.

She was a highly capable orator, but she didn't fell like arguing with anyone today. It had taken a lot out of her the past few weeks to go to class in the morning, listen carefully to Ambassador Spock in the afternoon, and dictate all of her notes in the evening. She was surprised that her GPA hadn't tanked on her finals. She could only account for her A's because they had been cumulative exams.

She smiled as she saw Admiral Archer approach in the window's reflection. She turned and nodded to him.

"Are they ready?" she asked him.

Archer shrugged, "Almost. Kaitlyn, I was blown away by the depth and detail that you put in your initial report. I don't know how you kept everything in order in your mind to comprehend it all." He looked at the doors to the room, "All the Heads of Starfleet are in there. They have all read your report. That's what everyone was doing yesterday. I asked them to come and meet you. Some of them are having a hard time believing that only one person wrote the report." he smiled. "You'll do fine." he reassured her.

Donovan walked to the left of Admiral Archer as they entered the room.

Every chair at the Conference table was filled, and chairs had been placed along the wall of the room to accommodate the rest of the officers.

The room of officers stood up.

Archer and Donavan walked to the front of the room to the podium.

Admiral Archer nodded, "Be seated." He smiled after everyone took their seats. "We are here today to review the initial report from Commander Donovan of her debriefing of Ambassador Spock." he stated. "I would first like to personally thank Commander Donovan for going above and beyond a typical debriefing report and detailing all of the information that she did for us." he smiled and the room clapped their agreement.

She nodded to Admiral Archer, "Thank you, Admiral." she looked around the table and noticed there were no other women in the room.

_So much for women moving up in the ranks of Starfleet Command - it had been the same way the last time she'd given a debriefing here._

She knew the approach she should take with them as an audience.

"Gentlemen, I believe some of you have questions." she looked at the clock on the wall. "Who would like to begin?" she asked.

Admiral Durkin motioned, "Commander, some of my colleagues don't believe that you could possibly have written this 247 page report by yourself. Can you speak to their doubt?" he suggested.

"I will make a statement." she nodded and looked around the room at all of the high ranking officers. "I debriefed Ambassador Spock each afternoon. I compiled my report in the evening. While I was in class the next morning, Ambassador Spock read over my notes. The last twenty-eight pages contain the beginning of my research into how this timeline has been influenced by Nero's appearance. Ambassador Spock has read my research and concurs with my findings." she explained.

Admiral Jenkins, Head of Starfleet Security, motioned.

"Yes, Admiral?" she asked.

He leaned forward, "In your report, you mentioned over twenty high threat species. Do you believe that we are prepared for those encounters?" he asked.

"Admirals, I will say that we are better prepared for those encounters than our counterparts in the other universe. In many ways, we are technologically 4 to 5 decades ahead of our counterparts. Unfortunately, I believe that those high threat species could be just as advanced." she stated calmly.

Jenkins leaned forward, "What do you mean?"

Donovan glanced at Archer. He nodded for her to go on.

"Admirals, Nero's advanced technology has not only appeared in Starfleet, but also in the Klingon, the Romulan, the Orion, and Andorian worlds - I had been collecting these items for Starfleet as I came across them for quite some time now. Only after testing all of these items recently, have we discovered they all came from Nero's ship. I'm sure there are more items." she explained to them.

There was murmuring around the table.

Admiral Jenkins looked at her questionably, "Commander, how long have you been collecting these items for Starfleet?" he asked.

Commander Kaitlyn Donovan frowned slightly, "The exact timeframe is classified, but I can safely tell you - for more than a decade."

Jenkins contemplated the information, "Can you extrapolate how the items you've collected have advanced these other worlds?" he inquired.

She clasped her hands loosely behind her back and nodded, "That is my next task."

Admiral Pike spoke up, "Commander, you spoke of the Borg threat in your report. Why do you believe that they are more of a threat now, than they were in the other timeline?" he questioned.

"The Borg were a formidable enemy in the other timeline. They wiped out most of our fleet. The cause of my concern is that the Borg came back in time to stop First Contact with the Vulcans, and in the process, the Borg sphere was destroyed and its remnants were scattered in the Arctic Circle. Those remnants were discovered a hundred years ago and as a result two Borg were revived and assimilated the Scientific Expedition team. They took a transport and began their way back to the Delta Quadrant." she explained.

Admiral Vincent shrugged, "They were destroyed by Archer's Enterprise." he nodded to the Admiral beside her.

Donovan nodded, "Yes, they were. But the Borg use inter-phasic signals. We can not be sure that they did not get a signal to the rest of the Collective." she pointed out.

"But, you can't prove they did." he stated smugly.

"Admiral Vincent, I'd rather err on the side of caution, than wait for them to show up. They _will_ come." she stated.

If looks could kill, she would have been diced into a billion pieces by the daggers from his eyes. He didn't like anyone to show him up, especially not her.

Admiral Krauss frowned, "Commander Donovan, you have an eidetic memory - do you not?" he asked.

Donovan looked at the Admiral that had been quietly listening, "Yes, I do." She tried to remember where she'd seen him before.

He looked around the table, "So, you know this report in your mind, you don't have to look it up on your PADD?" he questioned her.

"You are correct." she nodded.

"At the top of page 186 is what?" he asked.

Archer frowned, "Admiral, I don't see the point of this line of questioning."

Admiral Krauss ignored Archer and focused on Donovan.

"At the top of page 186 is my seventh reference to the Borg threat and begins my explanation of their trans warp corridors." she answered his question. _She remembered. _He was on the Federation Security Council.

The room was silent.

Krauss nodded, "I take it that you know much more than you have written in this report." he tapped his PADD.

"Yes, I do." she noted the looks some of the officers were giving each other. "Admiral Krauss, I understand the nature of classified information." She looked at him directly, "I hope the Federation Security Council will share the information of the hostile species, in order to unite worlds together - instead of pushing them farther apart with secrecy." she suggested.

He nodded, "You are very perceptive." Krauss looked around the table. "The Federation Council has decided to do just that. Ambassador Spock has agreed to visit the Klingon High Council and the Romulan Senate, if you will go with him." the Admiral added.

She nodded slowly, "I will go with Ambassador Spock, as long as my duties allow." she agreed.

She sighed inwardly. _She had just been railroaded_. She couldn't have said 'No' in front of all of them.

Admiral Krauss smiled, pleased that he'd gotten her to agree to go. Other members on the Council had doubted that she'd agree. "Thank you, Commander Donovan."

Archer looked around the room, "Do we have any further questions for Commander Donovan at the moment?" he asked.

Seeing no requests, Archer turned to Donovan. "Thank you again, Commander." he smiled and shook her hand.

He dismissed the group and Donovan found herself surrounded by well wishers.

She nodded and shook their hands and thanked them politely as she made her way to the door.

XXXXX

Donovan and Piper stood next to each other after their certification ceremony finished.

Kaitlyn smiled as she saw McCoy heading to them.

Piper looked at her friend. "I'm really glad you're going with Ambassador Spock to talk with the Klingon High Council and the Romulan Senate, but I think McCoy was really hoping that you would be on the Enterprise during their shakedown cruise." she told her.

Kaitlyn shrugged, "I know, but it's only three weeks. It will all be worth it if Ambassador Spock and I can speak to them and get everyone to at least agree to talk to each other."

"Congratulations!" McCoy smiled and shook her hand.

"Yes, indeed. Congratulations, Kaitlyn." Admiral Archer stated as he came over to them and shook her hand.

Trip grinned, "You didn't think we wouldn't be here, did ya?" he questioned as he hugged her tightly.

"Thank you for coming." she smiled at them.

"We wouldn't have missed it for the world." Archer smiled.

XXXXX

Three weeks later

James T. Kirk was restless.

He was pacing between the window of the Conference room on the Enterprise and his chair. He was ready for the Enterprise's mission to get started. They had just returned from their shakedown cruise.

Routine. That's how things had become.

_Routine. _

He woke up in the morning, worked out in the ship's gym, showered, had breakfast in the Dining hall with McCoy, Scotty, and Spock. He would then proceed to the Conference room where his Yeoman would give him the plan of the day and then he would approve or deny requests that would come in. Then, at approximately 0900, he would go and sit in the Captain's chair and wait for something to happen. Occasionally, he would have to go to a meeting, or an event somewhere on the ship, or he would have to answer a communiqué - but other than that - he would sit and wait. He wanted to take the ship out and explore new places and meet new civilizations!

Dull and ordinary, that's how things had been on the shakedown cruise - quite the opposite of what Kirk was used to. As a cadet, he was always learning something new, or there were other distractions to keep him occupied. He was sure that McCoy was getting tired of his pranks - but he felt like he was going to burst at the seams from boredom.

If he didn't have a few more meetings at Starfleet Headquarters and the Sending Off Party tomorrow, he would have the ship already on its way.

He sighed as he turned and walked back to the window.

Actually, he was glad they had another day to park at the Star Base above Earth. It would give his crew some time to see their families again before they left. Five years was a long time. He had a few crew members that had families. He didn't see how they managed to be away from each other for so long, he expected some of them to request re-assignment because of the length of their upcoming mission.

He was about to turn and begin his pacing again when he decided he would go ahead and transport to Starfleet Command. He could find something to do for an hour.

XXXXX

Fifty-five minutes later, James T. Kirk walked swiftly to his mentor's office.

"Sir." he nodded as the Admiral acknowledged his entrance and rolled in his electric wheel chair to Kirk.

Kirk smiled and shook the man's hand.

Admiral Pike indicated for him to sit down. "How was your shakedown cruise?"

"Good - Mr. Scott is installing the last few upgrades before we head out." Kirk explained.

"Jim, we've been analyzing the debriefing report of Ambassador Spock and from what I've read, there are a lot more challenges out there than we originally thought." he stated. "With that in mind - First Contact Officer Commander Donovan is back from her trip with Ambassador Spock." he smiled.

"So the First Contact Officer will be in charge of _all_ First Contact?" he asked, confused on the specifics of the new position.

"We will discuss the specific duties and responsibilities of the First Contact Officer tomorrow afternoon when all of the Captains getting FCOs are present." Pike stated.

Kirk nodded.

Pike grinned and touched the speaker on his desk. "Send her in."

She walked over to Admiral Pike. "Commander Donovan, reporting as ordered, Sir."

Kirk stood up and smiled, then shook her hand firmly.

Donovan nodded, then turned her attention back to the Admiral. "Did you debrief him on the last few weeks?" she inquired, all business.

Pike shook his head. "Commander Donovan has been speaking with the Romulan Senate and the Klingon High Council for the past few weeks on behalf of the Federation." he told Kirk. He indicated for Donovan to go on.

Donovan looked at Kirk, "We've been trying to make alliances with the two groups." she began.

Kirk interrupted, "Did they accept?"

Donovan shook her head, "No, but at least we made the offer. The Klingons did agree to accept our offer of medical supplies and food."

Pike watched the two officers in front of him, both of them were the top of their graduating classes. He believed they would do well together.

"Jim, get everything in order before the Enterprise leaves. Kaitlyn, bring him up to speed on what you've learned from Ambassador Spock and from the trip." He turned back to Kirk, "Whatever you need - just ask. Five years is a long time." he pointed out.

Kirk nodded. "Thank you, Admiral." he shook his mentor's hand.

Pike nodded to both of them.

Kirk and Donovan exited the Admiral's office and walked out of the building. They stood on the steps outside.

He watched her for a moment, trying to decide what to say. "I'm glad you're assigned to the Enterprise." he told her.

She nodded, "Thank you."

He stood up straighter, assuming his role as Captain, "Report to the Enterprise at 0900 tomorrow." he ordered.

"Yes, Sir."

He turned and quickly jogged down the steps.

Donovan watched him walk away, then headed in the other direction to the Academy Green.

She approached a familiar figure that was sitting on a bench.

Ambassador Spock stood up when he saw her.

She tilted her head slightly, "You could've talked to Kirk."

He shook his head, "No. I need to keep myself separated from the situation." he stated.

They sat down on the bench.

"You approve of me being assigned to the Enterprise?" she queried.

Ambassador Spock watched her carefully, "Logic dictates that the Enterprise will come into contact with many new species on its mission - you should be there as the First Contact Officer." She was very contemplative - not the self-assured Starfleet Officer he had come to know. He knew she had been impacted by recent traumatic events on their trip, but he sensed something more. "What is troubling you, Kaitlyn?" he asked.

"The past that you knew has changed, but it is curious how it is trying to mend itself back together." she pointed out.

"Yes." he nodded. "It will be interesting to see how this time unfolds." he agreed.

She sighed softly, "We kept the names of specific ships and people out of our report to Starfleet. The whole point was to keep someone from hesitating to send a ship or person on a mission because of what might happen, if history repeats itself."

"That is what we agreed upon - that the burden of specifics would be ours alone." he agreed with her.

She winced, "But _I_ know the specifics. And now I am being assigned to the Enterprise - where I will possibly be in that very position of making a decision based on what I know."

Ambassador Spock nodded, "You will undoubtedly be in that predicament. But fate has put you there for a reason which we do not know of. You will do fine." He regarded her closely, "You should talk to Admirals Archer and Kenmore about what happened on Romulus." he suggested, then stood up. "Give my regards to the crew." He held up his hand as she stood, "Live long, and Prosper, Kaitlyn."

She returned the gesture, "Peace and Long Life, Ambassador." _She didn't know if she'd ever see him again_. She turned and quickly walked away. She glanced back and saw him sit down on the bench tiredly. She took a deep breath and quickened her pace. She hated goodbyes.

XXXXX

Kaitlyn looked out the window of Admiral Archer's apartment. She sighed as she heard the two men laughing in the kitchen. She was going to miss them - _again_. The whole reason she'd agreed to this new life was so that she wouldn't have to go through all of the heartbreak she did before.

They came out of the kitchen, both of them grinning from ear to ear.

She smiled, "What are you two up to?"

"Kaitlyn, we fixed your favorite food for dinner - French toast with strawberries!" Trip placed the plate dramatically at her place setting.

She nodded, "Breakfast for dinner - I could get used to it."

They sat down and Jonathan Archer poured them each a glass of juice and handed them out.

He raised his glass, "To Kaitlyn and her posting to the newest Enterprise." he smiled.

They clanked their glasses together and sipped the juice.

Trip watched her as they began to eat. "How was your visit with the Klingons?" he asked.

"It went better than we expected. They accepted our offer of food and medical supplies - we've got a convoy leaving in a few days." she nodded.

"And with the Romulans?" Archer questioned cautiously.

Kaitlyn took a long sip of juice and contemplated her reply before she said anything.

Archer frowned. He knew her well enough to know that when she took this long to answer, she was carefully deciding what to leave out. "Ambassador Spock spoke to me this afternoon." he informed her.

She looked up at him slowly, "And what did the Ambassador say?" she inquired.

Jonathon Archer leaned forward and put his fork down. "He's concerned about you. He told me that you were kidnapped by the Romulans, and that you have no memory of what happened during those three days." he informed her, his eyes filled with concern.

Kaitlyn shook her head, "He suggested to me that I discuss the situation with both of you - he didn't tell me that he was going to intervene." She glanced at Trip. He looked madder than heck.

"He thought it would be helpful if you spoke with us." Archer explained.

"He is a very persistent Vulcan." she nodded. "I _was_ kidnapped, and I don't remember what happened. But I fail to see how telling you two will help the situation." she shrugged.

"He also mentioned that you've been having nightmares again. He thought you'd be more comfortable talking to us." Archer stated.

"We've all had bad bouts of nightmares." Trip reminded her.

She nodded. "They're very realistic feeling. The ones I remember are about an incident that Ambassador Spock said happened in the other timeline. But, I'm there and the detail is particularly disturbing." she explained.

"Perhaps your mind is just filling in all of the blanks. Kaitlyn, you learned a great deal of information in a very short period of time. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to have only one person debrief Ambassador Spock." Archer frowned.

Kaitlyn shook his head, "He wouldn't have talked to anyone else - he told me so many times."

"Did he finally tell you how he knew you in the other timeline?" Trip asked.

She nodded. "It turns out that I was in Starfleet Intelligence for a very long time. I met him when he was an Ambassador, and he helped me move into the Diplomatic Corps."

Trip frowned, "So, you weren't on the new Enterprise in the other timeline?" he questioned.

"No, and there was not a First Contact Officer position. Nero's influence in this timeline has altered and accelerated many things for us." Kaitlyn stated.

"Anything else exceedingly different?" Archer asked.

Kaitlyn looked at Archer, then to Trip. "Nothing that really matters in the end."

Jonathan Archer looked curiously at Kaitlyn because of her cryptic answer, "Then I guess we should be thankful that we're here."

They nodded and went back to eating.

After dinner they moved to the living room and sat down with their coffee mugs.

Trip sat down next to Kaitlyn and looked over her slowly. He'd noticed that she was moving a bit slower tonight than she normally did. "Kaitlyn, where are you injured?"

"My shoulder, and I've got some internal bruising." she stated, then sipped her coffee. She knew they were worried. "The worst thing is not remembering what happened." she admitted to them.

Trip sighed softly and ran his hand over his face, "Kaitlyn, we both know what the Romulans are capable of - maybe the Vulcans can help you remember." he suggested.

She patted his leg gently, "Ambassador Spock tried. He thinks that maybe I shut my mind down so they couldn't get to me - and that's why they dumped me to be found." She hoped that was the reason. _She was worried that she'd told the Romulans everything she knew_.

Jonathon Archer watched her. She looked tired, more so than he'd ever seen her. "Are you sure you can conduct the briefing tomorrow?" he asked.

Kaitlyn smiled, "I will be fine, I just need a good night's rest."

Archer nodded and glanced at Trip.

Trip set his cup down, "How about I give you a ride home?" he suggested as he stood up.

Kaitlyn looked between the two men and nodded. They were still looking after her, even after all of these years. She gave Jonathan Archer a hug, "Thanks for dinner."

Jonathan Archer smiled, "I'll see you at the briefing." He walked them to the door and made sure they got in the shuttle before he closed his front door.

Trip flew her to the Advanced Academy lot and landed the shuttle. He turned to her, "Kaitlyn, are you going to be okay?" he asked.

She swallowed hard. They had both been transformed into Romulans a hundred years ago to infiltrate the Romulan military during the War for different reasons. There were some things that the two of them understood, that no one else could. "Trip, they're pretty sure it was the Tal Shiar that had me."

He frowned and closed his eyes. The Tal Shiar were notorious for their methods of coercion and torture. "Do you think that's why the nightmares started up?" He touched her arm to get her to look at him.

"I don't know." she shrugged gently and winced as her shoulder protested. "I just haven't slept in quite awhile." she pointed out. It had been at least three days and it was catching up with her. "I'll be fine, Trip - really." she reassured him. "I'll see you tomorrow night at the Sending Off Party." she patted his shoulder as she stood up. "Good night." she gave him a small wave, then got out of the shuttle and started walking to her quarters. This would be her last night on Earth for five years. Luckily, she'd packed everything last night when she couldn't sleep.

Kaitlyn made her way to her quarters and entered the barren room. She had her belongings transported to the Enterprise earlier in the day. The only things she had left was an overnight bag, a clean uniform hanging up in the closet, and her toiletries. She sat down on the bed tiredly and took off her boots. She didn't even bother to change into her sleep shorts and top. She looked at the hypo on her nightstand that contained the strongest sedative her doctor could prescribe her. She picked the hypo up and pressed it to her neck. Kaitlyn laid down on the bed and started to count backwards from one hundred.

Kaitlyn jolted awake and tried to sit up, but found that she was restrained to an examining table. Her hands and legs were also restrained. She tried to assess her surroundings, but she couldn't see past the bright light shining over her. Darkness surrounded the area past the table she was bound to.

A door opened and she could hear three distinct male voices approaching as they spoke to one another.

"She is not completely Human." one of them stated.

"How so?" another questioned.

The first one pointed to her arm, at the gash running down it. "That was a knife wound she got when she fought our men, as you can see, it is healing on its own."

"Amazing." the second voice said quietly.

"It is not amazing." the third voice interrupted coldly. "You did the examination I requested?" he questioned.

Kaitlyn had been listening to them and trying not to react to what they were saying about her. But, that third voice was familiar - her mind was trying to recall where she had heard it before.

"Of course, Senator. I did find evidence that she had, at one time, a brow ridge." the first voice answered quickly. "When I added the brow to her picture and ran it through the system - she was recognized as Sub-Commander T'Valas, but she was reported missing during the Romulan War." the man indicated.

The second man balked, "That's not possible, humans don't live that long."

Kaitlyn frowned slightly. They were right - she had been Sub-Commander T'Valas, which meant these men were Romulans.

Her former Commander in the Romulan Military grinned as he stepped into the light. "I was hoping that I would get to see you again. We found out, after we lost the War, that you had been sending signal bursts out on our movements. You cost us the War." he slowly circled around her bed. _He despised her_ - she had managed to infiltrate their military and he was determined to find out how. "You will tell us what we want to know." he stated simply. He grinned again, "Unfortunately, by the time we are done with you - you won't remember this conversation." he promised. He looked at the other men, "Prepare her for the treatment. Call me when she is ready for questioning." With that, he turned and left the room.

Kaitlyn bolted up in her bed, gasping for air and clutching her chest. She quickly looked around the room to re-orientate herself. _What had she been dreaming of?_ The more she tried to remember, the more her head started to pound in protest. She laid back on the bed and tried to get her racing heart to slow down. She stared at the ceiling and waited for sleep to overcome her again.

XXXXX

TBC.

Reviews are much appreciated!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or any of its characters.

Please refer to the Author's notes in Chapter 1.

Thank you to Just a Crazy-Man, Obsessive66, AngelQueen, Ataxia O'Rourke, Kushina98, Emberka-2012, and royalpinkdogs for the reviews and all of the readers following this story!

The Ripple Effect

Chapter 6

2438 - Transport Center, Starfleet Academy

Commander Kaitlyn Donovan closed her eyes tiredly as she shifted her bag over her shoulder. She had not been able to go back to sleep after she jolted out of her nightmare - a nightmare which she couldn't remember anything about. She'd thrown her belongings in her bag and headed to the Transport Center, determined to go ahead and get to the Enterprise. _Maybe she could get to sleep in her new quarters_.

The simple task of transporting up to the Enterprise had turned into more of a problem than it needed to be and a migraine was forming in the back of her head.

"I'm sorry, Commander Donovan. I have to request permission from the Officer-In-Charge before I can transport you up after normal work hours." the young Transport Engineer explained.

She had hoped to just get on board, find her quarters, and get to sleep. She nodded, "I understand, please request permission."

"Enterprise, this is Starfleet Academy Transport Center." the young man requested.

"This is Enterprise, go ahead." Commander Spock replied.

The Transport Engineer glanced at Donovan, "Enterprise, Commander Donovan is requesting permission to beam aboard." he stated.

The answer came quickly, "Permission granted. Enterprise out."

The young Engineer smiled at her as he walked her over to the platform, "I hope you have a good tour on the Enterprise, Ma'am."

"Thank you." she nodded and waited for him to step to the controls.

He glanced at his controls and frowned. He looked back at the woman on the platform, "Commander Donovan, it says this is your thousandth trip through the transporter and that you are required to have a complete Level Three Medical Evaluation before you can transport again. I'll send the orders up to the CMO on the Enterprise." he quickly sent the orders to the Enterprise. The young man looked at her curiously, "One thousand - that's a lot, Ma'am. As far as I know, that's a record." He looked down at his monitor as the orders were acknowledged by the Enterprise. "We're ready, Ma'am."

She nodded to the Engineer, then she was quickly transported up to the Enterprise. She raised an eyebrow at the man waiting for her in the Transporter Room. "Why are you still up?" she questioned.

Leonard McCoy frowned, "I could ask you the same thing. You didn't feel like waiting until the morning to transport up?" He noted the heavy lines under her eyes and shook his head. "Come on, I'll show you to your quarters." he offered and shifted his PADD to his left hand.

Kaitlyn nodded and walked beside him through the corridors, "I haven't been sleeping." she said quietly as the turbolift doors closed.

An eyebrow shot up, "For how long?" he questioned as he pressed the button for their floor.

"I've been having problems for a week, but I haven't slept in three days. Commander Benton prescribed a sedative for tonight - I took it, but I had a nightmare and I couldn't go back to sleep. So, here I am and now I find out that I have to have a Level Three Medical Evaluation before I can transport again. How long is that going to take?" she growled as they stepped out of the lift. She could feel her anger gnawing to get out.

Leonard watched as she clenched her fists. "It will take about two hours, we can take care of it after breakfast." He stopped at her door and punched in the medical override code for the door to open. He waved for her to go in first. "Do you know why you haven't been able to sleep?" he asked as the door closed behind them.

Kaitlyn dropped her bag down on the chair tiredly. She took a deep breath and sat down on the couch. She wanted to tell him what had happened, but it could wait. "I'm sure you've got to get back to work, I'll talk to you about it in the morning." she waved him off.

"I just got off shift." he noticed her wince as she moved her shoulder. "What's wrong with your shoulder?" he questioned quickly.

"Why don't you sit down." she suggested.

Leonard crossed his arms, "Is it that bad?" he asked.

Kaitlyn nodded slowly.

He sank down on the couch beside her, his brows furrowed with concern. "Kaitlyn. . ."

She sighed, "I was kidnapped while I was on Romulus. I don't remember what happened during those three days. Since then, I've had nightmares or I just don't sleep." she tried to tell him calmly what had happened, but it wasn't working. He looked like he was about ready to explode. She reached for his hand and held it tightly, "Leonard, I'm really tired, but I don't know what to do." she admitted softly. She was too tired to go over everything now. She just wanted to sleep.

His anger quickly dissipated. "What was the sedative you took?" he asked.

"The hypo is in my bag." she went to stand up and get it, but he patted her arm and had her stay where she was while he retrieved it. "Good god Kaitlyn! This dose should have knocked you out completely, you shouldn't have dreamed at all - hell, you shouldn't even be able to hold a conversation right now." He quickly used his PADD to look up her file and frowned, "Kaitlyn, I can't give you anything else tonight. The dosage he prescribed was too high." he shook his head.

Kaitlyn raised an eyebrow, "But, it's the same dosage that I used to get. Why is that a problem now?" she questioned.

McCoy searched back in her records, "Well, it does look like Doctor Phlox prescribed it to you before - I guess it's okay. But I can't give you anything else." he reiterated. He didn't see how it was possible that she was still functioning at that high of a dose.

Kaitlyn had her eyes closed and leaned her head back. Her delayed mental processes finally realized what he'd said. "Phlox? How are you in those records?" she demanded and snatched the PADD.

He looked puzzled, "All of your medical records are there."

She quickly scrolled through the records and let out a string of curses that made McCoy blush. She handed him the PADD back and went over to the monitor on the desk and accessed her records. "All of my records are open to anyone!" she banged her fists on the table. She tried to calm down, "How do I make a communiqué? Does it have to go through the Communication Station on the Bridge?" she asked.

Leonard stood up and came over to her and placed his hand on her shoulder, he touched the monitor and called for Spock. "Commander Spock, Commander Donovan needs to make a communiqué." he explained.

""If it is a regular ship to shore message, you should be able to make it through your console, Commander." Spock stated.

"It is an Alpha level priority message to a satellite, the receiver will pick up once I input my security code." Kaitlyn explained. All of her records were available to anyone who searched for her records! How long had they been open?

"Send me the satellite reference number and I will send out a signal, then when your monitor prompts you - enter your code. Is there anything else I can do for you Commander Donovan?" Spock inquired because she sounded highly agitated.

"Yes, Commander. I need to know who has accessed my records since they have been made available. Everyone should only be able to see the past twelve years with normal access and twenty-five years with an XO or higher clearance. No one should have access to my records past twenty -five years." she reiterated.

"I will begin researching this matter for you. Spock out." he ended the conversation and quickly opened her files to see exactly what the problem was. His eyebrows rose into his hairline as the information came across his monitor.

Kaitlyn quickly typed in her code when prompted and waited for the end receiver to pick up their end of the call. "This is absolutely ridiculous." she shook her head tiredly.

Leonard pulled a chair over and sat down beside her, "Kaitlyn, why does it matter if people can see your records?" he asked.

"_All_ of my records, Leonard! My whole life is out there for anyone to read. We've kept them sealed for a reason." Kaitlyn watched as his frown deepened. "I was highly involved in Starfleet and the Federation before I took my Sabbatical to Vulcan, I only came back so that I could track the technology Nero had been selling off."

The monitor beeped and a man in his eighties came on the screen. He rubbed his eyes tiredly as he looked at Kaitlyn, "What in the world are you doing up at this hour?" he questioned her, his English accent pronounced because of the lateness of her call.

"Damn it, Robert - my records are open for everyone to read! What the hell is going on down there?" she demanded an answer.

The man's face changed from amiable to steely, "Are you forgetting who you're talking to? I'm the Operations Director of Section.."

She interrupted him quickly, "I'm not alone - and are you forgetting who you're talking to?

The man took a deep breath, "No, I haven't forgotten Mother." He quickly picked up a PADD and started clicking on a few files. "Who's with you?" he asked casually as he kept reading his PADD.

Kaitlyn glanced at Leonard, "Doctor McCoy, he's the CMO on the Enterprise." she explained to her eldest son. She watched as his expression changed to one of complete frustration - he looked so much like his father. "Robert?" she inquired.

"Mother, it looks like the failsafe to your records were unlocked when you were transferred to the Enterprise. The good news is that it looks like it was just a glitch, and not a security breech." he quickly typed a few orders into his PADD and sent them off. He looked back up at the monitor to his mother. He sat back and watched her for a moment, "Does the Doctor know about your past?" he questioned.

Kaitlyn raised her eyebrow, "He knows enough - why?"

"Mother, the rest of the family has been asking about you. They are worried that you died on Vulcan - what am I supposed to tell them?" he questioned her.

"Robert, we've already discussed this." she sighed and shook her head. "How long will it take your people to put the lock back on my records?" she put the focus of the conversation back on the problem.

"They are already working on it now, shouldn't be but a few more moments." He leaned forward and watched her carefully. "Have you been sleeping? The latest report I got was 'no'."

Kaitlyn frowned, "That is why I am up this late at night and why Doctor McCoy is here now." she pointed out.

Robert shook his head, "Mother, you need to sleep. I could have one of our doctors come up there and put you in a mild coma and we can wake you up tomorrow evening before the Sending Off Party." he suggested.

Leonard McCoy was stunned at her son's recommendation and stuck his face in front of the monitor, "What's wrong with you? Induce a coma! She might not come out!" he growled.

Kaitlyn touched Leonard's arm and indicated for him to sit back down, "We've had to do it before." she tried to explain.

Robert raised an eyebrow at the middle aged doctor, then back to his mother. "Doctor, if I'm not mistaken, your patient has not slept for three days and as such, her cognitive functions will soon cease to function properly. She usually heals very quickly, but for some reason she hasn't healed from her recent injuries. I need you to find out why." he sat back and glanced down at his PADD. "Your records are now secure again. I will make sure this does not happen again."

Kaitlyn nodded, "Robert, I will find a way to get to sleep tonight." she promised. She looked at her eldest son, he was definitely starting to show his age. "Robert, you look tired." she commented.

He laughed softly, "Could it be because my mother woke me up in the middle of the night yelling at me?" he suggested.

She frowned, "That's not what I meant - and you know it."

"Mother, I'm going to retire in a few years. I'm getting too old to keep up with everything this job involves." Robert stated.

"Who will take your place?" McCoy stepped in. He was still trying to reconcile that this was Kaitlyn's eldest son. He looked three times older than she did.

"Actually, there are a few candidates we are vetting. One of them is your old boss, Vincent." he shrugged to his mother.

Kaitlyn shook her head, "There is no way I will let him take over your job. If I have to, I will use my veto power." she stated firmly.

McCoy was curious. _What sort of veto power did she have?_

Robert smiled, "I figured that's how you felt about him. What about you? Do you want your old job back?" he inquired.

Kaitlyn blinked several times, trying to process what he was asking. "Robert, that was a long time ago - I have a new job now." she reminded him.

"Your tour on the Enterprise is for five years, you could take over then. The knowledge you hold right now is more than any of us could possibly hope to learn, and you extrapolate better than our simulators do. It wouldn't be that difficult for you to slip back into the job." he pointed out.

"Robert, I'll don't think that is the path for me." she glanced at Leonard. The more the conversation went on, the more his scowl deepened. "Robert, as you so aptly pointed out, I need to go to sleep. Good night."

He smiled at his mother, "Good night." he touched his monitor and ended the transmission.

Leonard McCoy sat back in his chair, "You use to have your son's job?" he questioned.

Kaitlyn stood up, "A long time ago." She looked around the room, trying to decide how she was going to get to sleep.

"Come on, I'll stay with you. Turn on one of those sappy movies and sit with me on the couch." Leonard suggested as he walked to the couch and plopped down.

Kaitlyn smiled as she grabbed a pillow and the blanket off her bed. She laid her head down on the pillow and put her feet in his lap as she pulled the blanket over her.

"Hey, I didn't say you could use me as a foot stool." he scoffed.

She shrugged as she turned on the vid screen and selected a classic western for Leonard.

He smiled at her selection. _The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance_ was one of his favorite. "Well, I guess since we're watching this, I can get over it."

"Thank you for staying with me." she thanked him.

"Not a problem." he smiled.

She fell asleep within twenty minutes. _He should have left_, but he was afraid that he'd wake her up if he did. He closed his eyes tiredly.

XXXXX

0858 - _Enterprise_

Captain Kirk and another man were leaning into a wall panel when Kaitlyn found them.

"So, what needs to happen before its working again?" Kirk questioned the man.

"Well, Captain, I need to take this whole junction off line and re-route the power. Then it will take us about an hour to replace the burnt out components, and then we can put the power back through this junction." he rubbed his forehead with a hanky as he stood up. That's when Scotty noticed their visitor and smiled brightly.

Jim Kirk wondered what got Scotty to stop talking. He stood up and looked in the direction the man was fixated. Kirk smiled, "Commander, this is our Chief Engineer - Montgomery Scott, the best engineer in Starfleet." he introduced. "Mr. Scott, this is our First Contact Officer, Commander Donovan."

Kaitlyn shook the Chief's hand, "Nice to meet you." She turned to Kirk, "Permission to come aboard?"

"Granted" Kirk answered. He turned to Scotty, "Inform the crew that there may be some power interruptions, then get to work." he directed.

"Aye, Captain." Scotty nodded to both of them, then left quickly.

Kirk turned his attention back to Donovan now that they were alone. He remembered a comment she'd made to him at the Academy. He grinned and leaned against the bulkhead, "So, are you here to save my butt?" he teased.

She chuckled, glad that he didn't have any hard feelings over her snide comment in class that he had better hope he would get a good First Contact Officer to save his butt one day when his charm ran out. "If I need to." she confirmed.

He stood up, "I'm sorry I wasn't there to meet you when you got onboard. I had to see what was wrong down here." He indicated the torn apart wall panel. "Mr. Scott made some upgrades and this was the result." He watched her. She looked better than she had yesterday, the dark lines under her eyes were gone. She seemed restless standing there in front of him.

Kaitlyn blinked a few times, "Actually, I came on board last night."

Kirk nodded, "Well that's good. Go check in with Bones. We've got a meeting at Starfleet Command at 1500." he stated.

Donovan nodded and left quickly.

XXXXX

Kaitlyn walked into Medical and McCoy came over immediately and indicated a biobed for her to sit on.

Nurse Chapel approached slowly, "Do you want me to take all of her vitals?" she asked him. She was curious because it looked like he was about ready to do them himself. He _never_ bothered with a patient until after all of the triage information was taken.

"No." he said gruffly. "I'll complete the physical on Commander Donovan myself. Thank you." he stated.

The nurse nodded and went to go tend to other duties.

Kaitlyn looked at him as he felt her pulse at her wrist. She hadn't said anything to him this morning when she'd woken up sleeping next to him on the couch. She'd been slightly disoriented as to why she was on the couch with him, until she remembered everything from the night before. Obviously, he'd decided to stay with her instead of leaving after she'd fallen asleep. She had to admit, it was the best sleep she'd gotten in a very long time.

He frowned, "What's got your pulse up?" he questioned. He was worried because when he'd woken up on her couch, she was already in the shower. He didn't know if she was mad at him for sleeping on the couch with her because he had gotten a call to come in to Medical and had left.

She shrugged, "I had a very good sleep last night."

His eyes softened. "Okay." he smiled. He listened to her heart, then indicated for her to take off her top.

She took off the shirt to reveal the standard black military tank top underneath.

He moved to listen to her lungs through her back and stopped in his tracks. His eyes were fixated on the six inch red gash on her left shoulder blade. "What the hell happened here?" he demanded loudly.

She looked at him sharply, "Lower your voice."

He sighed and waited for an explanation as he waved the medical tricorder over the wound. "Does the skin feel tight?" he asked softly as she laid down on the bio bed. He wondered why it wasn't healing correctly.

"Yes." she nodded.

He sighed as he jabbed the buttons on the machine a little too hard to get the biobed to scan her. He cleared his throat. He turned his attention to the screen. He hadn't realized just how much damage her body had gone through before he'd met her. He'd read about some of her previous injuries last night - but here was the complete truth. He noticed the readouts and scowled - she had gotten more than just a gash on her shoulder recently. She had multiple internal injuries and her brain scans showed unusual elevations in her hippocampus. He came around and stood beside her. "You don't remember what happened?" he questioned quietly.

"Please, I don't want to talk about it right now." she requested softly as she sat up.

He quickly became concerned. The only time she didn't talk openly to him was when it had been about her Starfleet Intelligence assignments. He moved closer to her, "I thought that was all in the past." he stated and touched her leg.

"They wanted one last bit of help before I was out of reach for five years." she shrugged. "Have I told you how glad I am to be here?" she asked.

He frowned, "You were supposed to be on a _diplomatic_ mission." He felt his blood pressure start to rise. "Did _he_ tell you to investigate something on Romulus?" he asked as his teeth clenched, referring to Admiral Vincent.

She wasn't going to lie to him. "Yes." she said simply. She could tell he was about ready to go ballistic. She touched his hand, "Could you refocus that anger you are feeling and redirect it into healing me?" she asked. "I'm very concerned because of how long it is taking me to heal from my injuries." she explained quietly.

He nodded, "Lay back down and we'll take care of the Level Three Examination." he said softly. He frowned, he had never been emotionally attached to a patient. "I'll have Nurse Chapel come in and set up all of the sensors on you. I've got some other patients coming in to get their physicals completed before we leave, but I'll check back in with you." he explained.

Kaitlyn smiled, "I'll be here." She looked up at the ceiling and giggled at the poster of the cute little orangutan that was grinning and eating a banana.

Leonard looked up and growled, "Nurse Chapel! When did the Captain come in here?" he demanded. He knew who the culprit was - Jim had been playing pranks for weeks.

Nurse Chapel glanced up at the ceiling and stifled a laugh, "I'm sorry, Doctor. He came in this morning for his allergy hypo and he must have put it up then." she apologized.

McCoy pointed to the poster, "Get it down." he snapped.

Kaitlyn smiled at Leonard's mock anger, "Could she at least leave it up until my examination is over?" she requested.

He glanced at her and nodded slowly, "I guess so." He took another look at the poster on the ceiling, then headed to his next patient.

Nurse Chapel smiled at Kaitlyn, "So, a Level Three Examination - that doesn't get prescribed often, Ma'am." she said casually as she began placing the sensors on various places on her body.

"Well, evidently you get to have one when you've gone through the transporter for the thousandth time." Kaitlyn shrugged.

Chapel raised an eyebrow, "That is a lot, I can see why they want you to have one. Well, it will take a couple of hours but the good thing is you just have to lay there. It will stimulate various sensors on your body, then record the reaction time of your muscles. I'll take a couple vials of blood and start running them through the other tests." she explained the procedure.

Kaitlyn nodded and indicated the poster, "At least I've got something to look at."

Chapel leaned closer, "Just wait until Doctor McCoy realizes the Captain put up more than one." she grinned.

Kaitlyn chuckled, "I hope he finds out while I'm here."

Nurse Chapel patted her hand, then quickly took the vials of blood and left her alone.

Twenty minutes later, everyone in Medical was witness to the McCoy tirade as he pulled back the curtains of each examining area and found a different poster on the ceiling. He stormed off to the Bridge to give the Captain a piece of his mind.

Leonard McCoy stepped off the turbolift and went directly to the Captain's chair and glared at him.

Jim Kirk looked up innocently at him, "Well, what do we owe the pleasure Doctor?" he smiled.

"You know damn well what you did to the ceilings of my examining rooms! I demand you come take them down." he crossed his arms over his chest.

Jim Kirk shook his head, "Come on, Bones! I picked each one of them myself. I get tired of those stupid, plain white ceilings when I'm in there." He leaned forward, "Who spotted them first?"

"Kaitlyn did. She asked me to leave it up until her examination is over." McCoy shrugged. He'd actually been pleased that she'd giggled over it. She needed to have some laughs after everything she'd been through recently.

Kirk raised an eyebrow, "She's still down there? What kind of test are you running?" he questioned.

Leonard McCoy glanced around the Bridge and shook his head slightly.

Jim stood up, "Sulu, you've got the Bridge." he stated as he and McCoy headed for the turbolift. As soon as the doors closed, Jim gave his friend a questioning look.

"I can't tell you anything, but you could talk to her and maybe she'll tell you herself. Right now I'm running a Level Three Examination because she just hit the thousandth trip through the transporter." McCoy offered what little he could say without breaking doctor/patient confidentiality.

Jim patted Bone's arm, then headed to Kaitlyn as they entered Medical. He smiled as he saw Kaitlyn laying on the bed and grinning at the poster on the ceiling. "So, you hold the record for transports?" he sat down on the stool next to her bed.

Kaitlyn turned her head and smiled, "I don't know, but I got rewarded with this wonderful examination."

Jim Kirk shrugged, "Can't hurt every once in a while to have such a thorough exam."

"Would you like to trade places with me?" she grinned.

He chuckled, "No, thanks." He watched her as she looked back up at the poster. "Admiral Pike wanted you to tell me about your trip, since I'm here why do you tell me?" he suggested. When he'd seen her yesterday, he'd noted how tired she'd looked. He'd been worried, but he knew that as soon as Bones saw her, he'd find out what was wrong. His friend was nothing, if not doggedly determined in finding out what was wrong.

Kaitlyn took a calming breath, then started at the beginning of the trip with their encounter with the Klingon High Council.

An hour later Kirk leaned back. "Kaitlyn, I'm glad you're safe and with us now." He shook his head slightly, "You finally got to sleep last night?" he questioned. He noticed the slight pink tinge that came over her face and he smiled slowly.

"Yes, I finally fell asleep last night. I must admit the couches on your ship are very comfortable." she commented, avoiding his gaze.

"What was Spock researching for you this morning?" he shifted the subject.

Kaitlyn frowned, "When I transferred, all of my records came open for anyone to read. He is researching who accessed my records during that time."

"All of your records, including your Intelligence missions?" he inquired. He wondered who had messed up royally, or if it was a security breech.

She saw the look on his face, "It looks like a glitch, but there are other people looking into the situation to make sure that's all it was."

Kirk nodded as he stood up, "I hear Bones coming, I guess I'd better leave."

Kaitlyn indicated the poster, "I like it." she smiled.

Jim Kirk grinned as Bones came around the curtain, "Kaitlyn likes the poster." he pointed out.

McCoy shrugged, "That's her opinion, but I'm the one that has to work here." he indicated for Jim to leave. He watched as his friend left Medical. He glanced back up at the poster. He hated to admit it, but he liked them too. He could tell that Jim had taken his time in selecting just the right posters to make people laugh, especially when they didn't feel well. He'd keep them up for awhile, just to see how other patients reacted. He read over the report on his PADD. He found himself torn, he wasn't quite sure which course of action to take.

She watched him as he studied the readings. She could see he was conflicted. "What do you think?" she asked.

He looked at her, "I think you've been exposed to a high level of some type of radiation that is causing your body to not heal properly. I'll start you on a series of hyronalin." He shook his head at the readings on the screen, "Anything else bothering you?"

"No."

He sighed, "You're fit for duty." He signed off on her records and handed her top back to her and watched as she put it on. "Kaitlyn, we really need to talk about this." he indicated his PADD.

She nodded slowly, "How about at lunch?" she suggested.

McCoy nodded, "We'll need to eat early if you don't want everyone else in the conversation. 1100, come by here and we'll go together."

Kaitlyn patted his arm gently, then left.

XXXXX

McCoy sat back and shook his head slowly, "He shouldn't have sent you on a mission when you where there on behalf of the Federation. I don't see how that man is still in charge of Starfleet Intelligence - he's an ass!" he seethed.

Kaitlyn glanced around the Mess Hall, she was glad there weren't too many people in here yet, and Bones was keeping his voice somewhat hushed. "I agree with you, but there isn't anything that I can do about it right now." she shrugged.

"What did Spock find out?" he stabbed a piece of meatloaf, then ate it quickly.

"That four people accessed my records. Myself, Robert, Spock, and Admiral Vincent." she frowned at the last name.

Leonard grimaced, "So, you think he knows everything about you now? He's going to be pissed that he didn't know before - won't he?"

Kaitlyn nodded, "I'm sure he will have a few choice words for me when I see him this afternoon."

"He'd better not man-handle you again, or so help me I'll deck him myself." he promised her.

"I'm sure he will keep his distance, if he read everything." she shrugged. _He'd better keep his distance_, because she was seriously considering knocking him out - to hell if she got reprimanded for it.

McCoy raised an eyebrow curiously as a slow smile spread across her face.

XXXXX

1445 - Enterprise Transporter Room

Commander Kaitlyn Donavan stepped into the Transporter room and nodded to Chief Engineer Scott.

She smiled, "Do you usually run the transporter, Mr. Scott?" she asked curiously.

He was standing by the controls and quickly walked over to her, "When it's the Senior Officers, especially the Captain, I make it my responsibility to take care of the transporting. Not because I don't think my engineers can't do their job," he interjected, "but, if anything unfortunate happens - I will carry that burden." he said softly.

She nodded and patted his arm in understanding. Transporter accidents didn't happen often, but when they did - it was gruesome.

Captain Kirk stepped into the room and smiled at them. "Well now, are we ready to get this show on the road?" he asked.

She nodded and stepped up on the platform.

Kirk nodded to Scott, "We'll be back in an hour or so."

Scott nodded, "Aye, Captain - just give me a couple of minutes notice and I'll be here."

"Energize." Kirk ordered.

They rematerialized in one of the Transporter Rooms of Starfleet Headquarters. They walked down the corridors quietly. Kirk looked around as they approached the Conference Room. The other Captains were waiting outside the double doors. He turned to her, "Aren't the other FCOs coming?" he asked.

She stopped him and shook her head, "No. Starfleet Command asked me to speak today." She glanced at the other Captains, then back to Kirk. "You may get upset in a little while, because of what the Admirals are going to tell you. Just take it easy, and I'll try to smooth everything over after they've spoken to all of you."

Kirk frowned. If she thought they might get 'upset', that meant that some of these Captains would be infuriated. "I hope you can."

They walked over as the doors were opened for everyone to enter. Each Captain had their assigned seat. Donovan's was next to Kirk's. They sat down and waited.

The five Admirals that she had come to know very well in the past few months entered. Everyone stood up at attention.

"Be seated." Admiral Archer directed. He indicated for the doors in the room to be closed. "We have come today to explain the position of First Contact Officer to all of you at the same time - so that everyone gets the same information. Your ships have been selected for an FCO because of the likelihood that you will come into contact with new peoples." He looked around the room and tried to gauge their openness. He looked at Donovan and she shook her head no, and indicated that they weren't ready for the heavy stuff. He decided to go over the lighter side of the FCOs duties first. "When you come into contact with a new people, you will proceed as you have been trained. The FCO will be gathering data on the government, infrastructure, leaders, and factions of the planet. The FCO will be included in all talks and discussions. They will be assessing the situation for us. They will send us the information that we require that they gather." Archer explained.

Admiral Vincent stepped up, "If the FCO requests to gather information, you will allow them to get it." he stated. "Are there any questions?" he asked them.

Captain Kelly motioned, "So, if the FCO says they need an Away Team to go to a location on the planet - we're supposed to let them go? No questions asked?" he questioned them.

Admiral Vincent nodded, "Correct."

There were murmurings from the Captains.

Admiral Archer stepped forward, "Most likely, you will know exactly why the FCO is going to that location and the reasoning. But, occasionally - you will not know until they return."

Captain Donaldson shook his head, "Admirals, with all due respect, we can't allow someone to be able to commandeer an Away Team on a whim."

Admiral Vincent raised an eyebrow, "It will not be on a whim. And frankly, you don't have a choice. Starfleet Command must know certain information about new contacts quickly and the FCOs know how to get that intel for us."

Captain Peters spoke up, "Admirals, what about the turnaround time for messages and orders? We've discussed the lull in the past, isn't this going to add more sit and wait time for us?" he asked them.

Admiral Kraig stepped forward to address the question, "We heard your concerns before and we understand about the wait time. With this in mind, the FCO has the authorization of Starfleet to issue go/no go orders on many issues you will come across."

"Whoa!" Captain Jacobs leaned forward, "The FCO will be giving us orders?" he demanded an answer.

Admiral Kraig did not appreciate Jacob's tone. "They will simply be giving you clearance on orders we would've said yes to." He looked at Donovan. "Gentlemen, this is Commander Donovan, she is the FCO for the Enterprise." he introduced her. "Donovan, give us a situation that would fit the aforementioned scenario." he requested.

She stood up and nodded. "Captain Jacobs, you've come across a drifting ship - what do you do?" she questioned him.

Jacobs sat up, "We would follow protocol and run our scans to find out the origin of the ship and the condition of the ship and its crew." he stated.

"Okay. Now, let's say those initial scans reveal that the ship is of unknown origin, life signs on the ship are fading, and the ship is slowly falling into a decaying orbit of a nearby planet - What do you do?" she questioned.

"We relay our information to Starfleet Command and wait for our orders." he said.

She nodded, "The FCO could decide if you could aid the ship - whether that be with a tractor beam, or sending an Away Team to get the injured off the ship, depends on the circumstances. We have been given a set of parameters and criteria to which we may authorize action." she explained. "There are still some circumstances in which Starfleet Command must decide." she pointed out to them.

She watched as the Captains began to see a benefit of the FCO. "Let me reassure you, gentlemen - if the FCO authorizes action, and Starfleet Command declines - it will be the FCO's neck, not yours. We know the limits that have been set for us and we are here to assist you." Donovan sat back down.

Admiral Durkin stepped up, "Now I know this is not the way we've done things in the past." he began. "But, I think you can see the benefit of being able to take action on a multitude of situations, that you use to have to wait for Starfleet Command's authorization for." He looked around the table at the Captains.

Admiral Pike took the floor, "With this ability to authorize action, comes great responsibility. The FCOs have trained for a year and a half at the Advanced Academy, they would not be certified for this position if we didn't have the utmost confidence in them." he stated.

"Commander Donovan was ranked #1 in the FCO class, and she is going to speak with you in just a few moments about her fellow FCOs. She was also Ambassador Spock's debriefing officer and she will go over some of the information that she gathered from him. For the past three weeks, she and Ambassador Spock have been speaking with the Romulan Senate and the Klingon High Council to open the lines of communications between our worlds." He smiled at them.

Commander Donovan nodded, "Thank you Admirals." she said and waited for them to leave and the door to shut behind them. She walked to the front of the room and looked at each of the Captains. "I asked them to let me speak to you on the behalf of the FCOs." she explained. "I want to give you some background information on us, so that you can understand where we are coming from." She clicked on the screen and all 14 of their photos came up on the screen. "There were 35 FCO candidates when we began our training, 14 of us made it to certification. All of us were selected because of our previous jobs and the skill sets." She clicked the PADD and their previous jobs appeared beneath the photos.

"You were all Intelligence Operatives?" Peters asked, stunned.

She nodded, "All of us are well trained in clandestine skills, evasive maneuvers, and interrogation methods. When Admiral Vincent said that the FCO may need to gather information on the planet, he wasn't talking about just getting information overtly. The other FCOs and I wanted to express to you our concerns, and maybe that will help alleviate some of yours." she started. "We figured out pretty quickly that we were all selected because of our previous training. We did not find out until our last month that we would be authorizing actions on behalf of Starfleet Command. Now we have no problem with it, we want to be as much help to you as we can - and if we can save time and possibly lives, we're all for it. Our concern was that we didn't understand why Starfleet Command was giving us this responsibility, until after I debriefed Ambassador Spock. There are over twenty high threat species that existed in Ambassador Spock's timeline that we will most likely encounter. Some of these hostile species can knock out our communication with Starfleet with the first shot. I think Starfleet knows that we will be coming up against some very formidable species and wants to be proactive."

Captain Jacobs leaned forward, "So, you all think they created the FCO position to help in both situations - first contact and instantaneous authorization of orders?" he asked.

Donovan nodded. "That is our theory."

He frowned, "So, how did they know they needed to create this position a year and a half ago?" he questioned her.

"Well, I can tell you that I became aware of 2 particularly hostile species while working for Starfleet Intelligence a few years ago. And one of them nearly wiped out the human race in the other timeline - twice. So, I assume that Starfleet has been building up because of those 2 previously known threats." she explained.

Captain Jenkins looked around the table, "If Starfleet Command knows of these threats, why haven't they told us - since we are the front line of defense?" he asked.

"I cannot answer for them, but I am going to tell you about something my fellow FCOs have been creating while I was away the past few weeks." she clicked the screen. "They took all of my classified notes that were available to them and created a data base. So, let's say you encounter a species and they call themselves the Ferengi. This database will pull up all of the information listed for that species. Now, please realize it is information from the other timeline - so it won't be completely accurate."

Captain Peters nodded, "I can see how this database will help, or at least it will give us some kind of inkling of what to expect."

"The database will become automatically active for you, if your FCO should perish." Donovan added. She saw the look of concern on all of the Captains' faces and tried to alleviate their concerns. "I don't know if Starfleet Command will ever release all of the information I learned, or if they'll ever let you know everything that we have done covertly for Starfleet. But I'm here to promise you, that we will do our best to serve you and your crew while we're aboard." she smiled. "Do you have any further questions for me?" she asked them.

They shook their heads. They seemed satisfied with the information she'd given them. "If you have any more questions, your FCO can answer them." She nodded and opened the door for the Admirals to come back in.

Only Admiral Archer came back in the Conference Room.

"Any questions?" Admiral Archer asked.

The Captains shook their head no.

"Good. Dismissed." Admiral Archer stated. He indicated for Commander Donovan to stay a moment.

Kirk walked over to her, "I'll wait for you in the corridor." he said, then left.

She walked over to the Admiral, "Yes, Sir?" she asked.

Archer waited until the room was completely cleared. He smiled, "You did a good job. You alleviated their fears and concerns, and you certainly made the FCOs human to them. If the Admirals had done this by themselves, I think we would have had a mutiny on our hands." he shook her hand. "Thank you for all of your help."

"You're welcome, sir." she turned and walked out the door.

Kirk nodded as she approached and then they headed to the Transporter room.

Captain Jenkins was waiting to transport next. He shook her hand, "Thank you for the information. I'm sure I'll work well with Lt. Commander Piper." he smiled.

Donovan nodded, "You will. Have a good trip to the Klingon Outpost."

Jenkins nodded and then transported.

Kirk and Donovan stepped on the transporter.

"Energize." Kirk ordered. When they rematerialized, he turned to her. "Can we talk about what you said in that meeting?" he asked.

She nodded.

Kirk smiled at Scotty as he walked over to him, "Thanks Scotty. Are we doing shuttles and transporters to the Send Off tonight?" he asked the engineer.

"Yes, Sir. Luckily, many of the crew have already gone down to visit with their families, so we won't get bottlenecked. The crew has the times when the shuttles will be coming back tonight through tomorrow morning." Scotty explained.

"Great - thanks for doing a fantastic job!" Kirk said, then he and Donovan headed to the Dining Hall.

They each got a cup of coffee and sat at the Senior Officer's table.

Kirk understood her value and he wanted her to know it, he just didn't know how to tell her. He watched as she took a sip of coffee. "Thanks for what you said back there." he said.

She smiled softly, "I hope I helped the situation."

"You did." he nodded and leaned forward. "When you have something you need to tell me, I want you to do it. I don't want you to over analyze the situation, I want you to go with your gut - especially when we're in a tight situation."

"Okay."

"I realize that you have a lot of knowledge and information, I expect you to speak up if you have a suggestion - even if it's not in your field of expertise. We all put our two cents in." he explained.

She chuckled, "You realize you're opening up a can of worms? Do you remember how many times we argued in class?" she reminded him.

"We just had differences of opinions on how to approach things. It's always good to have multiple viewpoints to a situation and suggestions on how to approach it. I welcome your input." he smiled.

Kirk's communicator chirped. He opened it up, "Kirk here."

"Where are you?" McCoy asked, sounding perturbed. "You said you'd be here to sign off on this report Starfleet Medical wants sent in today. I've got to get ready for this thing tonight!" he complained.

Kirk shrugged at Donovan as he stood up, "I'm sorry for my tardiness, Doctor - I'll be right there." he shut the communicator. "I'll see you tonight." he nodded and put his cup in the bin.

She stood up and placed her cup in the wash bin. She looked around, the Dining Hall had a different feel to it when it was empty.

The cook came out from the kitchen and smiled, "Good afternoon, Commander!"

"How are you, Cookie?" she asked as he got the small bin of cups ready to take back and get washed.

"Wonderful - someone else will be cooking tonight." he smiled brightly. "I'm going to send these last few dishes through and then I'm going to go change."

"Do you have family coming?" she asked.

"Yes, my nephew is here at the Academy." he beamed.

"Great - I look forward to meeting him tonight. See you there!" she waved and headed to her quarters to change.

XXXXX

TBC.

Reviews are much appreciated!


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or any of its characters.

Please refer to the Author's notes in Chapter 1.

Thank you to Just a Crazy-Man, Obsessive66, AngelQueen, Ataxia O'Rourke, Kushina98, Emberka-2012, royalpinkdogs, Mike, and Ace for the reviews and all of the readers following this story!

*Mike, the numbers are time of day, not years or Stardates - sorry if they confused you.

The Ripple Effect

Chapter 7

1800 - Starfleet Officer's Club

Kirk and McCoy entered the Starfleet Officer's Club and looked around. The place was definitely decked out. Everyone was in their Evening Dress uniforms adorned with their medals. The cake at the side table alone had to be able to feed at least 500 people.

They made their way through the crowds to the front of the room.

Admiral Pike was talking to a few of his former crew members. He saw them approaching and smiled. "Here's the man of the hour!" he looked pointedly at Kirk.

"This isn't just for me, sir." he reminded the Admiral.

Pike raised his glass. "Nonetheless, you saved my ass and I'm grateful." he stated.

Kirk accepted a glass from Pike.

McCoy spotted Donovan and headed off in her direction. He smiled - she had no less than 12 medals on her uniform. He'd never seen her in her Evening Dress Uniform before. He slowed his approach when he saw her shaking her head at a trio of Starfleet Captains.

"I agree that he is young Andrew, but he has shown exceptional valor against the greatest of odds. He led his crew with the end goal in mind." she reiterated and touched his arm gently.

"But he hasn't gone through all of the ranks like we did." another Captain spoke up and shook his head.

"Starfleet has deemed him ready for the Captain's chair." she crossed her arms as she finished her drink.

"So give him another ship - not the Enterprise! There are at least ten of us that should be ahead of him for Starfleet's Flagship." the first captain complained and took her empty cup from her and set it down on the nearby table.

"You should have made your displeasure known to Starfleet Command before they made their decision." she stated simply.

"We did." he stated and crossed his arms.

"And?" she prompted.

"They said their decision was final."

She shrugged, "Then that's that."

The third captain scoffed, "Why do you care? You're assigned on the Enterprise - that makes you what - next in line for command after Spock?"

She frowned, "It makes me nothing, Mark. FCOs aren't in the ship's chain of command. I could've been a Captain by now. Don't go complaining to me - at least you have your own ship." she pointed out.

They pondered her point.

"I still don't like it." the second captain restated.

She shrugged and turned slightly. That's when she noticed McCoy.

Kaitlyn smiled and waved him over, "Gentlemen, this is Doctor Leonard McCoy, Chief Medical Officer on the Enterprise." she introduced him.

"Doctor, this is Captain Ken Donaldson, Captain Mark Kelly, and Captain Andrew Jacobs."

The men shook hands.

"I've worked with these Captains previously." she stated simply.

Captain Jacobs smiled, "Quite a few years ago - when all of us were much younger." he pointed out.

"And we all went through the Academy together." Donaldson stated quickly.

She laughed softly, "Have a good evening, gentlemen." she said and led McCoy away from them before they started retelling old stories.

"What's their problem?" he demanded to know.

"They just feel slighted. They think they deserve the Enterprise more than Kirk." she rephrased their complaints.

"Do a lot of officers feel like that?" he asked as they walked.

"Many do." she stopped walking and turned to him. "It took many of them eight years to get their own ship. Kirk was field promoted." she frowned. "If he'd been assigned another ship, I don't think it would be ruffling as many feathers."

McCoy glanced back at the Captains. "Do you feel the same way they do?"

"I'm not interested in the Captain's chair." she shrugged.

"But you said that you could be a Captain by now." he pointed out.

"I was just pointing out that I have time in rank too, and that they should lay off." she patted his arm. "Come on. Tonight is supposed to be a happy occasion." she reminded him.

McCoy nodded.

Kirk handed each one of them a glass as they approached.

"Glad to have you aboard, Donovan." Kirk smiled.

Spock nodded, "Yes, I'm sure Commander Donovan will be most helpful to us, especially since she worked with Ambassador Spock."

Pike spoke up, "She will be extremely helpful." he pointed out to the Vulcan.

Kirk waved his hand, "No more talk about work tonight." he directed.

Spock looked at him curiously, "Then what are we supposed to speak of?" he questioned.

Scotty chuckled, "The weather and the food." he suggested.

"I do not think I can elaborate for long on those topics." Spock stated.

"Actually," Pike spoke up, "You should all make sure that your crew knows that they are appreciated and that you know they will do well. It is their last night on Earth and many of them will be saying good bye to their families."

Kirk nodded in appreciation for the advice.

He saw Sulu, Chekov and Uhura talking to each other across the way. He headed in their direction.

Spock, Scotty, and McCoy followed his lead and went to speak to members of their departments.

Donovan smiled at Pike.

He indicated for her to sit down.

"So, what did Jacobs have to say?" he asked her.

"More of the same." she sighed.

He frowned, "It's not enough that Kirk saved the planet and stopped Nero?"

She knew it was a rhetorical question. She took a cup of coffee from the wait staff and busied herself with the sugar and creamer.

"You were in a class with Kirk and McCoy, right?" he asked.

"Yes. Advanced Ground Warfare. They had the FCOs and the cadets work together the last semester." she explained the situation.

"What did you think of the class?"

"I think it was very helpful to the cadets and it gave the FCOs a chance to actually work in groups again." she said.

"I didn't realize that your jobs were so isolated in Starfleet Intelligence." he contemplated.

"Don't you think that's why we aren't in the chain of command on the ship?" she asked, slightly surprised that he hadn't come to the same conclusion earlier.

He had questions of his own now. He spotted Admiral Archer. "Donovan, I'm glad you're on the Enterprise. If you'll excuse me." he nodded and rolled his chair to Archer.

Lt. Commander Piper came over quickly. She seemed particularly hyped up tonight. "I can't believe that you don't want to come on the convoy!"

Donovan shook her head, "I don't need to go."

"But, you're the one that got the Klingons to accept the Federation's offer of supplies - don't you want to see it through?" her friend asked.

"You can have that honor." she smiled. "Besides, the Enterprise is leaving tomorrow."

Her friend grinned, "So, have you boxed it out with Kirk yet?"

Donovan frowned, "Just because we argued and didn't see eye to eye in class, doesn't mean we won't get along." she said quietly. In fact, she had been worried about the same thing - but she wasn't going to tell anyone. Everyone expected her to be at her best on the Enterprise, no matter what her personal situation.

Piper shrugged, "I hope you're right." She glanced over her shoulder and scowled, "Speak of the devil."

Kirk's grin broadened as he approached them. Lt. Commander Piper had always frowned upon his solutions in class. "Piper, it's good to see you again." he smirked.

"Captain Kirk." she nodded, then excused herself.

Kirk looked puzzled, "Did I say something wrong?" he asked as he plopped down in the seat next to his FCO.

"I think it's your attitude towards women in general that she dislikes." Donovan stated.

He grinned, "I have the utmost respect for women."

"Your charm works on younger women - not those of us that are . . ." she stopped herself.

"Older? Because I beg to differ." he shook his head.

"I was going to say those of us that have more time in service." she smiled and thumped his arm.

He smiled and thought about that. _ Could there be some limit to his charm? _Possibly. He switched gears. "I'm very pleased with the crew compliment. We've got some of the brightest in Starfleet onboard." he commented.

"I agree. I read over the personnel records before our meeting." she nodded. "How are you and Commander Spock getting along now?" she asked.

Kirk grinned, "We've come to an understanding. We're getting along well - he's been a great help to me, getting in the swing of the day to day ship routines."

Donovan watched him, wondering if he knew how other Starfleet Captains felt about him.

He noticed her frown, "What's bothering you?"

"You're not well liked by some Captains right now." she stated.

"I know." he admitted as he shrugged. "There's nothing much I can do about it. I just have to prove that I know what I'm doing and lead my crew well."

She nodded, "They'll come around."

He looked at her, "I'm sure you're not a big fan of mine either."

"Look, you did a great job. You thought on your feet quickly, plus you allowed your crew to step up and use their abilities. _You _believed in them. _That_ is why you succeeded. _That_ is why Starfleet made you Captain of the Enterprise." she explained. "I can't baulk with that kind of leadership."

"Thanks." he chuckled softly and looked around the room. "You know, I think some people expect us to have knockdown, drag out fights on the bridge."

"We both know that will never happen."

"Yeah." he nodded and grinned. "You'd probably break some more of my ribs."

"I will never argue with you on the bridge - if I disagree with you, I'll speak with you privately." she reassured him.

XXXXX

Kaitlyn smiled as she approached Cookie and his nephew. His nephew was the last competitor she'd fought in the AUF competition this year.

Cookie's nephew saw her coming and recognized her and smiled, "Commander Donovan?" he asked and shook her hand. "I didn't put together who you were until just now." He turned to his uncle. "Uncle Max, she's the officer that won the AUF this year and last year." he pointed out.

Cookie was impressed, "Brian has spoken very highly of your skills in the past two competitions."

"Well, he's very good himself. Brian, you can win if you start to think like a combatant - take your opponent down to take them out of the fight. Don't give them a chance to get back up." she suggested.

"I'll do that, Ma'am." he smiled and thanked her for the advice. "Commander, can we get a photo with you?" he asked softly.

She nodded, "It would be my pleasure."

XXXXX

McCoy smiled as he saw his father approaching.

David McCoy smiled and hugged his son, "I almost thought I wouldn't make it - we had a colt born just a few hours ago." he said and showed his son the picture of the newest horse on the McCoy homestead back in Mississippi.

"I'm glad you came, Dad." he thanked his father as he walked him over to Kirk. "I think you remember Jim Kirk."

Kirk smiled and shook the man's hand, "Good to see you again, Mr. McCoy."

"Congratulations on the ship - you did a fine job stopping that Nero fellow." the older McCoy stated.

Kirk grinned, "Well, if it hadn't been for your son, I think things would have turned out very differently." he pointed out. The fact was, if McCoy hadn't managed to slip him on the Enterprise, everything might be different - for the worse. "It's good to see you again." he shook his hand again, then excused himself.

David McCoy looked at his son, "Okay, where is she?" he asked as he looked around the crowded room.

"Who?" he questioned his father.

"The woman you keep mentioning in your communiqués." his father pointed out.

Bones frowned. He hadn't realized that he'd mentioned Kaitlyn that much when he'd talked to his father.

The older McCoy patted his son's shoulder, "I won't embarrass you." he promised his son. He knew that she was special to his son because he had never mentioned any other woman since his divorce.

Bones nodded and they walked over to Kaitlyn.

She stood up and smiled, "This can't possibly be your father, Bones." she stated.

David McCoy smiled brightly and shook her outstretched hand. "You must be Kaitlyn Donovan."

She nodded.

Bones spoke up quickly, "Commander Donovan is our First Contact Officer on the Enterprise."

His father looked at him curiously for calling her by her rank. "Leonard, why don't you go get us some drinks?" he suggested.

Bones nodded and left.

Kaitlyn offered the older McCoy a seat and they sat down. "I'm glad you're here tonight, I know it means a lot to him."

"I wouldn't miss it - I won't be able to see him for five years." He looked at his son across the room, then back at her. "He's been very happy lately, and I think that is because of you." he smiled. He saw a brief look of surprise flicker across her face, then it quickly went away.

Kaitlyn shrugged. She didn't know what to say. She saw Bones approaching and stood up.

Bones frowned, "Aren't you going to stay?" he asked as he handed his father a drink. He was concerned that his father had upset her.

"I think you need to talk to your dad alone. I'll see you later." Kaitlyn smiled. She turned to his father, "It was nice to meet you, Mr. McCoy."

The older McCoy stood up, "I didn't mean to run you off." he said quickly.

Kaitlyn looked between the two McCoys, "This is the last time you'll see him for five years. I think it's more important for you two to talk to each other." she promised them both that nothing was wrong.

David McCoy looked on as his son watched Kaitlyn turn and walk away. "How come you didn't kiss her?" he asked point blank.

"Dad!" Bones exclaimed and sat his father down. "We're not in that kind of relationship." he tried to explain.

"Why not?" his dad asked.

"Her husband died, and I'm still not that comfortable trusting women." Bones tried to reason with his father.

"Oh." David McCoy nodded. "I like her." David McCoy stated with a nod, "She didn't give any information up. Unlike that ex of yours that used to parade you around to all of those parties and show you off to everyone. Just to raise her social standing." He had a sour look on his face.

"Dad, I don't want to talk about my ex." he frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. He didn't want to hear again about how his father had never liked her from the get go.

"I want to talk about Kaitlyn." his father stated. He watched as his son relaxed a little. "I read up on her when you started to mention her. She's a highly decorated officer."

Bones was curious, "I know. Why did you read up on her?" he questioned.

"I don't want you to get hurt again." his father shrugged.

Bones smiled at his father, "I'll be fine." he raised his glass to his father. "So, who is the mamma of the colt?" he changed the subject.

XXXXX

Kaitlyn smiled as Andrew Jacobs reached for her hand.

"You did a very good job today." he pointed out and led her away from the group she was with.

"Thank you, Andrew." she smiled softly.

He looked tired, not his usual exuberate self. "What's wrong?" she asked as he handed her a glass of juice.

"Are you going to be all right on the Enterprise?" he questioned and gazed in the direction of Kirk. "He takes big risks."

She laughed, "And I don't?"

Andrew Jacobs grinned, "Okay, okay. You both do." he turned to her and frowned. "Are you sure you don't want a transfer to the Petenkin? I can arrange it." he offered her.

"As much as I'd love to be able to see you more often, I don't think it would be wise." she patted his chest. "Kirk and I get along, we understand each other. Besides, as long as I can still kick his butt, I don't think I have anything to worry about." she shrugged.

Andrew nodded and reached for her hand and held it, "You just keep up those skills." he suggested and led her to a table and they sat down. "What can you tell me about Lt. Commander Stevens?" he asked.

"Ben is a great officer. He's younger, but he still has more than five years experience in Starfleet Intelligence. I worked with him on a couple of missions. He did well." she explained.

"Any family?" he questioned.

"Actually," she looked around the room and spotted him, "he's engaged to Lt. Aminity on the Enterprise." she indicated the couple at the photographer getting their picture taken.

Andrew rolled his eyes, "Great." he said sarcastically.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked where his attitude was coming from.

"I just don't want to listen to all of the dribble." he shrugged.

Kaitlyn leaned forward, "What happened with Casey? I thought you two were getting serious."

He frowned and folded his arms across his chest, "Starship Captains are destined to be single."

"Andrew?" she asked softly and touched his arm.

"She transferred because I wouldn't make a commitment. I've only known her for two years - how am I supposed to know if want to spend the rest of my life with her?" he questioned and shook his head.

Kaitlyn sighed softly, "I think if you were meant to spend the rest of your lives together, you'd know." she shrugged. She noticed he was watching the couples and families getting their pictures taken.

"Being a Captain is not all its made out to be. You're constantly interrupted, or needed somewhere at all times of day and night. I get woken up at least twice a week in the middle of the night." he frowned, then he looked at her. He sighed and sat up, glancing around the room to see if anyone was watching him. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be whining and complaining. I love my job, it's just not conducive to a long term relationship." he tried to wave off what he'd said.

Kaitlyn took a sip of her drink. She knew he was hurt, it wasn't often that he spoke what he truly felt.

"Let's go get our picture taken." he suggested. "The last one I have is when we graduated from the Academy."

She laughed softly, "It has been a very long time - why don't you go get Mark and Ken, too. I'll save us a spot in line."

He nodded and hurried off to find their friends.

Kaitlyn approached the photographer and smiled.

He looked up, "Who are you going to get a photo with now?" he smiled good-naturedly.

"Some of my Academy buddies." she explained to him.

He leaned against the table as he spoke with her and they waited for the others. "You know, you are the second most photographed person tonight." he grinned.

She laughed softly, "Okay, who's number one?"

"Captain Kirk." he shrugged.

"Oh, well - that's all right." she nodded.

He pointed to the table with the all of the pictures spread out. "Do you want me to put your copies from tonight with the ones that just came in?" he asked.

Kaitlyn's smile widened, "You've got them?"

He went around the table and pulled out the leather bound album for her. He opened it up and showed her the photos. He had taken a few photos of her and Ambassador Spock before they left on their mission almost a month ago. "They are very good pictures." he commented.

Kaitlyn nodded as she looked through the photos. She was going to miss not being able to speak with Ambassador Spock each day. They had gotten to know each other very well. "Did you give him his copies?" she asked softly.

Harold nodded, "He was pleased."

"Thank you for taking them for us." she thanked the photographer.

"That is a very good picture." Andrew said from behind her as he looked it over.

Ken and Mark agreed.

"When did you get this taken?" Andrew asked.

She smiled at her friends and closed the album, "Almost a month ago, before . . . before our trip" she turned to the photographer, "I would appreciate it if you would put all of my prints together and I'll collect them before I leave tonight."

Harold nodded, "Not a problem." he looked at the group before him. "Okay, so you are all Academy buddies of Kaitlyn?" he asked the men.

They nodded.

"How about we get a few formal shots, then we can get a few candid shots?" the photographer suggested.

Andrew grinned, "Kaitlyn, make sure you turn slightly so that all of those medals don't blind the camera."

She nudged him in the ribs, "That's enough of that."

Mark shook his head, "It always amazes me that every time we see you, your medals multiply." he smiled softly.

"Well, gentlemen - I get medals, and you get ships. That's how that works." she shrugged.

They lined up for the photo and smiled.

XXXXX

The gong sounded and everyone headed for their tables.

Kaitlyn sat down next to Kirk as Admiral Archer stepped up to the podium.

Trip Tucker sat down next to her and showed her the photo they'd had taken of the three of them earlier in the evening. "It's a good picture."

She nodded in agreement, then introduced Kirk. "Retired Admiral Michael Kenmore was Archer's Chief Engineer on the _Invincible_." she explained.

"Pleasure to meet you, Sir." Kirk smiled and shook the older man's hand.

Archer smiled at the crowd. "Tonight we are gathered to send off the crew of the Enterprise on their five year mission. We know this is a long period of time to be away from family and friends, but we know that these next five years are crucial to Starfleet and the Federation. All of the new worlds you come in contact with, all of the new places you explore, will further expand our knowledge of the galaxy. We know you will do well on your mission and you will represent us to the best of your ability. Please enjoy your evening." he concluded.

They clapped as Archer left the podium and came to their table. He sat down next to them as the wait staff started to bring out the salads. "You have a fine crew. I think I've met most of them tonight." Archer stated to Kirk.

Kirk nodded, "Yes, Sir. They are some of the best in Starfleet." he agreed.

Archer took a sip of iced tea, then sat the glass down. He looked at her, "Kaitlyn, I appreciate everything you've done for us the past few months." he thanked her again.

She nodded, "You're welcome. I just hope the information I've gathered helps."

"It has." Archer stated. "Our engineers are refitting a ship under construction, based on some of the things you mentioned in your report. Mike is even consulting with them - you'd think he was a kid in a candy shop."

Trip grinned, "It's amazing." he commented to her. "If only we'd had engines like these, no telling how far we would have gone." he shook his head.

Kirk looked at Donovan, then Kenmore and Archer. He wondered how all three of them knew each other, it was obvious that they did because of how they talked to one another. "When do we get to see her full report?" he asked.

Archer smiled, "We are releasing some information tomorrow for Captain's Eyes Only. I doubt if her full report will ever be released."

Donovan was curious, "What, exactly, are you releasing?" she asked the Admiral.

"Just a basic briefing of your report. Starfleet Intel put it together." he said and started to eat his salad.

Kaitlyn picked up her fork and wondered what Admiral Vincent had included in the briefing.

Archer saw the look of concern on her face, "It's nothing too detailed. You know Vincent isn't going to reveal too much to anybody." he pointed out.

Kaitlyn nodded.

XXXXX

Captain Andrew Jacobs shook Dr. Leonard McCoy's hand and looked the man over again.

"You're going to keep Kaitlyn safe on the Enterprise?" he asked.

Kaitlyn looked at Andrew, "You promised that you would behave - did I make a mistake?" she questioned him.

Andrew let out a slow, calming breath. "No." he tried to smile. He turned his attention to McCoy, "I'm protective of Kaitlyn, she saved my life on several occasions. I know she's happy to be assigned the Enterprise." he smiled softly.

Jacobs and McCoy both suddenly stood at attention, their gaze was on someone behind her.

Kaitlyn turned slowly and saw Admiral Vincent approaching quickly.

Vincent waved them to be at ease before he got too close, "Gentlemen, if you'll excuse us, I need to speak with the Commander." he smiled tightly and motioned for her to come with him.

Kaitlyn followed as he led her away from the crowd.

Vincent turned quickly, "Your report on your trip with Ambassador Spock lacked the depth and detail that you are known for." he pointed out.

She looked at him calmly. She didn't want to get in an argument with him right here, right now.

"Why?" he questioned hotly.

"My mission was purely diplomatic with Ambassador Spock on behalf of Starfleet and the Federation - you shouldn't have sent me on a mission while I was there." she stated calmly.

"Nonetheless, your report should be detailed." the Admiral demanded.

"Perhaps it is lacking detail since I can't remember three of those days!" she said angrily.

Vincent grabbed her arm and yanked her closer, "I know you remember more than what you put in your report." he snarled. "You have deceived me from the moment we met. I should bring you up on charges." he threatened.

Kaitlyn remained calm and took a deep breath, she knew he was bluffing and he had no grounds to bring any charges on her. "I will send you an updated report as I remember more details." she stated quietly as she watched his temperament even out.

Vincent let go of her arm and stepped back, "Make sure you do that." he glared at her, then left.

She felt like she was going to get sick, so she headed for the closest exit. Kaitlyn sat down on a bench outside and closed her eyes. The fact was, she was starting to remember a few things about what happened on Romulus and it was very unsettling. She leaned over and took a few deep breaths and tried to keep herself from throwing up.

"May I join you?" Commander Spock asked as he stopped beside the bench.

Kaitlyn looked up and nodded, not able to speak at the moment.

He sat quietly with her on the bench and waited patiently.

"How can I help you, Commander?" she asked after a few moments.

"Have you filed a formal complaint against Admiral Vincent before?" he asked.

Kaitlyn frowned, he must have seen what happened. "Yes, I have filed formal complaints - though nothing has changed." she leaned back and sighed. She looked back at the building, "Isn't your father coming?" she asked him.

"No, I will see him later this evening." he answered and noted her attempt to change the subject. "Do you have any family coming?" he asked.

Kaitlyn shook her head and stood up, then looked back at the building one more time, "I'm going back to the Enterprise. I'll see you tomorrow, Commander." she stated. She quickly went in and gathered her photos, then headed to the transport center.

Spock watched as she left. He found Kirk rather quickly.

"Captain, may I speak with you privately?" Spock inquired.

Kirk looked at him puzzled as he moved away from the group he'd been talking to. "What's wrong?" he asked.

XXXXX

Donovan transported to the Enterprise and nodded to the transporter engineer. "Have you gotten to go down to the Send Off?" she asked the young man.

"My relief is coming in a few minutes, Ma'am." he reassured her.

"Okay then, have a good evening, Lt." she nodded and left.

The ship had a much different feel to it when there was only a skeleton crew aboard. _It was too quiet_. She walked into her quarters and stopped abruptly.

A man was standing in the darkness of her room.

She turned to get away, but she was quickly grabbed and held still by two other men and given a hypo spray. She felt herself losing consciousness as the injection went through her blood stream.

"Why don't we just take her now?" one of them questioned.

"Because she is not who we really want. She is a means to an end." the leader stated firmly.

XXXXX

TBC.

Reviews are much appreciated!


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or any of its characters.

Please refer to the Author's notes in Chapter 1.

Thank you to Just a Crazy-Man, Obsessive66, AngelQueen, Ataxia O'Rourke, Kushina98, Emberka-2012, royalpinkdogs, Mike, and Ace for the reviews and all of the readers following this story!

The Ripple Effect

Chapter 8

0730 - Donovan's Quarters, _Enterprise_

The door buzzed.

Kaitlyn walked over and opened the door after she pulled her blue uniform top on.

McCoy was standing on the other side, he quickly became concerned. She looked like she hadn't gotten any sleep. "Are you alright?" he asked as he stepped in.

"I didn't sleep well last night. I've got a huge migraine." she shrugged and headed into her bathroom.

"You left early last night." he commented as he sat down on the couch.

"I didn't feel well. Did you and your father have a good time?" she asked as she came back out with her hair up.

He nodded, "He updated me on everything there is to know about the ranch." he smiled.

"I'm ready, let's go eat." she smiled softly.

XXXXX

Kaitlyn nodded as Cookie handed her a plate, "It was nice meeting Brian last night." she told him.

He nodded, "Brian says thank you for the advice."

They walked to the Senior Officer's table and sat down.

Spock looked at Donovan curiously, then looked at McCoy. Surely the doctor had noticed the deep circles under her eyes and the lack of color in her face. "Are you feeling ill this morning, Commander?" he asked.

"Do I really look that bad off?" Kaitlyn questioned them. "I didn't sleep well, and I've got a migraine." she snapped.

"She's coming to Medical after breakfast." McCoy reassured the Vulcan.

Kirk looked at his officers as he sat down, "I hope everyone had a good time last night. We'll be heading out at 1000." he smiled.

Spock nodded, "I believe a 'good time' was had by all." he stated and stood up to leave. "I will make sure that all personnel have returned to the ship." he excused himself.

Kirk looked at McCoy, "So, how's your dad doing?" he asked his friend.

"Just fine - ornery as ever." Bones smiled.

Kirk watched Donovan as he ate, she didn't look well at all. "Did Bones check your arm out?" he asked softly.

She frowned and touched her arm absently, "My arm?" she repeated. _What was he talking about?_ Though, her arm did feel sore.

Kirk put down his fork, "Spock said that Admiral Vincent grabbed your arm last night - did you get your arm checked out?" he restated.

McCoy banged his fists on the table and looked at Kirk, "Admiral Vincent?" He looked at Kaitlyn, "You said he wouldn't lay a hand on you again!" He was about ready to demand to know why she didn't find him when he saw the look on her face.

She looked perplexed. "I don't remember seeing him last night." she looked towards the kitchen. "I remember feeling sick, so I came back to the _Enterprise_." she said softly.

"Do you remember talking to Spock last night?" Kirk questioned her.

"Early in the evening." she stated.

Kirk frowned, "Get to medical. Bones, check her out." he ordered.

XXXXX

0802 - _Enterprise_ Medical

McCoy's frown deepened, "The elevated levels in your hippocampus region are even higher than they were yesterday." he stated.

Spock had joined them and looked at the readings, immediately recognizing the patterns.

Jim Kirk pointed to a miniscule dark line on the screen at her neck, "What is this?" he asked.

McCoy increased the magnification on the screen, "It's a microscopic pellet of some sort."

Spock ran his tricorder over the spot on her neck. "It is sending out a signal."

McCoy frowned, "Someone is tracking her?"

Spock nodded, "I believe that someone also attempted to access your memories." he explained to Kaitlyn. "These are the same readings one would see after a Mindmeld." he informed the doctor. "The levels will slowly dissipate. I believe I can shut down the signal." Spock stated.

Kirk watched Kaitlyn, then glanced at Bones, "Can you take it out?" he questioned.

McCoy frowned, "Let's shut the signal down first, then I'll take it out."

Spock quickly sent out a signal from his tricorder and the signal stopped. "I believe we may need to delay our departure because of this incident." Spock stated.

Kaitlyn shook her head, "Don't report it." she requested.

Spock raised an eyebrow, "You were violated with a Mindmeld and you were injected with a tracking device. Starfleet Regulations clearly state that this incident must be reported." he pointed out.

Kaitlyn nodded, "I understand that it must be reported, but because of my clearance level - I can decide who that information is reported to."

Jim Kirk frowned. _Why did he feel like he was the only person out of the loop?_ Spock had simply nodded at her statement and Bones had shrugged in acquiesce. He looked at Kaitlyn, "What clearance level are you talking about?"

Kaitlyn glanced at Bones and Spock.

McCoy nodded, "Come on, Commander, let's leave them alone for a few minutes." he suggested and they went to the doctor's office.

Jim Kirk crossed his arms, "So they both know what you're going to tell me?" He was perturbed.

"Yes. Leonard knows because he researched and found out on his own. Spock knows because when I transferred aboard, all of the security locks on my files became unlocked. I had him find out who had accessed my files during that time." she explained.

"You mean your Starfleet Intelligence files?" Kirk questioned.

Kaitlyn sighed softly, "Not just those files. All of my records before twenty-five years ago are classified. I'm actually a lot older than I look."

Kirk raised an eyebrow, "What are you talking about? How old are you?"

"A few years younger than Admiral Archer." she shrugged, trying to gauge his reaction.

He laughed loudly, "Are ya'll playing some kind of joke on me?" He stopped laughing when she shook her head slowly. He thought quickly, "That's how you know Admirals Archer and Kenmore - did you serve with them?"

Kaitlyn nodded, "On the _Invincible_."

Jim Kirk's eyes widened, "That means you're General Donovan-Reed. You were required reading in our first year Security classes. You helped merge the MACOs into Starfleet, you were the first female Commandant. How long did you run the Starfleet Security Training Center?" he asked. His head was spinning. _No wonder she could fight so well!_

"Fifteen years."

"And then you were Starfleet's Military Liaison to the Federation Council." he remembered, then frowned. "But, the last thing I remember reading was that you went to live on Vulcan when your husband died." Realization slowly dawned on him, "That is why all of your records are classified - you have a new life."

Kaitlyn watched him carefully, "I request that you don't speak to anyone about what you've learned. Twenty-five years ago, my oldest grandson was killed on the _U.S.S. Kelvin_. I came back and went through the Academy and into Starfleet Intelligence expressly for the purpose of tracking down Nero and the technology he was selling off."

Jim was surprised that she had a grandson that had been killed on the _Kelvin_. He could understand how she could be persuaded to come work for Starfleet because of that. "How did Ambassador Spock know to request you as his Debriefing Officer?"

She shrugged slightly. "Jim, my mother's species lives for seven hundred years. Ambassador Spock requested me to be his Debriefing Officer because he knows me from his Universe."

He frowned. Seven hundred years was an exceedingly long life. He couldn't comprehend living that long. He looked over her, "Do you have an idea of who could have done this?" he questioned.

"I would only be guessing at this point. I will have some people look into this situation." Kaitlyn stated.

Jim Kirk looked up as Bones and Spock came back over.

Commander Spock looked at his Captain pointedly, "I have checked the Enterprise's logs and only our personnel used the ships transporters, though I noted that three individuals transported directly to Commander Donovan's quarters last night."

"How long were they there?" Kirk asked quickly.

"Only an hour. Commander Donovan had returned to the ship just five minutes after they arrived." Spock explained.

"So, they knew I was on my way back." Kaitlyn frowned as she tried to remember what had happened with Admiral Vincent. She looked up at Spock, "May I? I'd like to see what you saw when Admiral Vincent confronted me last night, maybe it will jog my memory." she suggested.

Spock hesitated for a moment. He'd never shared his memories with a human before, other than his mother. "You are familiar with the process?"

"Yes, though I would prefer that you just show me." she nodded.

Spock stood still as she placed her fingers on his face gently. He thought back and replayed the event in his mind.

Kaitlyn removed her fingers as soon as the scene played out. "Thank you." She took a deep, calming breath as her mind slowly remembered the events rather brokenly. "I came back to ship and when I entered my room there were three men. Why didn't I fight them?" she tried to remember. She looked up, "A hypo - they injected me with a drug."

McCoy took a sample of her blood and analyzed it quickly. He scowled, "I don't recognize this combination of compounds."

Spock looked over the readings and raised an eyebrow, then looked at Kaitlyn curiously. "This combination was noted in your Medical files by Doctor Phlox."

Kaitlyn looked at the reading and nodded as she recognized it. She glanced at McCoy, "It was used to block my memories a very long time ago." She clenched and unclenched her fists. "This is the reason my files are classified. There is too much in them that can be used against me, my family, Starfleet, and even the Federation." She could feel herself growing increasingly angrier and tried to calm herself down by deciding what she could do about the situation. She needed to communiqué Robert and have him track down a few things.

Kirk patted Kaitlyn's hand, "We'll find out who did this." he promised.

She nodded and gave him a small smile. She knew they'd eventually find out, but she couldn't figure out exactly why someone would want to track her location. She needed more information.

Kirk looked at Spock, "Prepare the crew - one more hour and we're taking off."

Spock nodded and waited until the Captain left. "I will continue my investigation. Do you need me to send out another signal to the satellite you sent a message to before?" he inquired.

Kaitlyn nodded.

"She can use my office." McCoy offered.

Spock turned and left quickly.

McCoy got a hypo out. _He didn't know what to say to her_. He injected the pain relief into her neck. McCoy quickly deadened the area around the pellet. He sliced the skin carefully and took it out and put it in a container so Spock could analyze it later. He sealed the skin and made sure that she was okay.

Kaitlyn got off the biobed and looked at him. "I'm sorry that I didn't say good bye to your father last night." she said softly.

He touched her arm gently, "That's the least of my worries right now." he admitted.

She smiled and headed to his office to talk to Robert about what had happened. Her oldest son would be more than just a little upset.

XXXXX

1000 - _Enterprise_ Bridge

"We are cleared for departure, Captain." Spock reported from his post.

"Excellent." Kirk smiled, "Sulu take us out of here." he directed.

"Yes, sir." Sulu nodded and handled the controls of the ship expertly.

Kirk turned his chair to look at Donovan.

The ship hadn't been designed with a First Contact Officer in mind, so they made her station the one on the other side of the turbo lift door, opposite Spock's position.

"What will be our first contact?" he asked her.

"In three days we will reach the planet Kern. From all accounts, they are a peaceful people and though they have the capability of space travel, they only use it to transport supplies. We will be meeting them on behalf of Starfleet and the Federation." she explained to the Captain.

He nodded and turned to Spock for his input.

"We will be traveling in known space, our threat level is minimum." the Vulcan stated.

Kirk nodded and swiveled his chair to look at the view screen. He was glad they had left on their mission. He smiled, _he was ready to explore_.

XXXXX

1730 - Enterprise Dining Hall

Kirk walked into the Dining Hall and took in a deep breath, "Ah! It smells wonderful, Cookie!" he complemented the cook as he accepted the tray of meat loaf, mashed potatoes and green beans.

_Nothing like dodging through an asteroid field to work up an appetite_, Jim thought to himself.

"Couldn't you have at least informed the rest of the crew that we were going to go gallivanting through an asteroid field beforehand? Do you not remember the first conversation I ever had with you? I looked out the window and saw an asteroid heading straight at us!" McCoy ranted at Kirk.

Kirk waved him off, "It shaved two days off of our time - I thought you'd be happy with that." he smiled and sat down at the table.

McCoy frowned, "You need to tell us next time." he stated and sat down next to Donovan.

Kaitlyn leaned closer, "I'm sorry. I'm the one that mentioned we would save time if we went through the asteroid field, instead of going around it." she apologized.

"Just remember that our Captain likes thrills, so if you mention something, he's apt to do it." McCoy pointed out.

"I'll remember that." she nodded.

Kirk was talking to Spock quietly, then he spoke to the group. "We'll have our first official Morning meeting tomorrow at 0830 in the Conference room. Scotty, give us an update on the system upgrades; McCoy, the status of Medical; Donovan, the latest intelligence on the Kern; and Spock, a synopsis of the scientific research going on board." he directed them.

They all nodded and continued to eat.

XXXXX

Commander Donovan walked into the conference room and looked around.

The door opened and Commander Spock came in, "Can I help you, Commander?" he asked.

Kaitlyn shook her head. "I like to visualize before I give a briefing and I realized that I couldn't because I didn't know what the room looked like. Sounds silly, doesn't it?" she shrugged.

"It is logical to prepare - and visualization is a proven technique for preparation." he stated.

She smiled softly for his acknowledgment. "Commander, have you spoken with Ambassador Spock lately?" she asked carefully.

"We have exchanged several messages." Spock nodded. "Have you discovered many similarities between the two timelines?" he questioned.

"It is very interesting in how the timelines seemed to be connected together in some ways. Yes, there are many similarities. And as we explore, I'm sure we will find more." she nodded.

"It will be most interesting to see the differences, and how those differences evolved." he noted.

"It will be. That is one of my tasks - to document those differences." she explained to him.

Spock raised an eyebrow, "That information will be of interest to many people." He looked around the room once more, "Can I help you with anything else this evening?" he asked.

"No, I'm done. Good evening." Kaitlyn thanked him and left.

XXXXX

McCoy smiled as he opened the door to his quarters.

Kaitlyn grinned and handed him a wrapped gift box, "Thanks for inviting me over."

He looked at the brightly colored box, "What in the world?" he asked.

She waved for him to open the gift as she sat down on his couch.

Leonard opened the box and his look of puzzlement changed to a huge grin as he pulled out a bottle of Andorian Ale. "It's the real stuff - how did you get this past security?" he asked as he got two glasses out. "Do you want any?" he asked.

"Just a swallow." she smiled softly.

McCoy filled the glasses appropriately and handed her the glass as he sat down. "Thank you." he smiled.

"You're welcome." Kaitlyn patted his leg.

He sipped the drink and savored the taste. "You know, we should get Jim in here - he likes a good, stiff drink." he suggested.

"I'm sure he'll make his way here soon." she commented.

_James T. Kirk had pretty predictable habits_. One of them was that he stopped by McCoy's quarters each evening. "You're probably right." Leonard agreed. He watched as she closed her eyes and leaned back. "Are you feeling better this evening?" he asked softly.

Kaitlyn opened her eyes and smiled, "Much better, thank you." she acknowledged.

"I'm glad you're here." Leonard admitted.

"So am I." she drank the swallow in her glass and set it down.

The door buzzed and Bones went to answer it.

James T. Kirk was on the other side of the door grinning as it opened.

"Ah, Jim - right on time." Bones smiled. He noticed the double take his friend did when he saw Kaitlyn sitting on his couch. "Kaitlyn brought me a present. I was just about to invite you over." he smiled and ushered his best friend in.

McCoy poured Kirk a glass and handed it to him.

Kaitlyn sat silently amused at Kirk being caught off guard by her presence.

Kirk took a long, slow drink of the liquid, wondering what they were up to. He smelled a secret. He walked over to the plush chair and sat down. "This is very good." he raised the glass to her. He noted that Bones sat close to her on the couch. "Well my friend - are we going to play a round of checkers tonight?" he asked.

"Of course." Bones smiled and indicated the table where he had the game set up.

Kaitlyn stood up, "As much as I'd love to stay and watch, I am exhausted." she admitted to them.

Both men stood up.

Bones walked her to the door, "Thanks for the gift." he said softly.

"You're welcome." She looked past him to Kirk, "Good night Jim."

Kirk nodded and watched their exchange at the door as he walked over to the table.

Bones walked over to the table and sat down across from Kirk.

"What's up with you two?" Kirk questioned his friend.

Bones just smiled softly and put the pieces in the appropriate places on the board.

"What were you two talking about?" Kirk needled.

Bones leaned forward and looked at his best friend, "I like her and I'd appreciate it if you'd just let it alone." he requested.

Kirk blinked several times, realizing that his friend didn't just 'like' her. "How long have you two been seeing each other?" he questioned.

Bones shook his head slightly, "We're just really good friends, Jim." he explained.

Kirk thought back to their last semester at the Academy, "And here I thought you were a fuddy duddy, always wailing at me that I should have focused more on my studies, than females."

Bones frowned as he made the first move on the board, "You had too many loose relationships with women. You're just lucky you didn't get snagged into a paternity suit." he pointed out.

Kirk shook his head, "Luck has nothing to do with it - I'm cautious. Besides, when the right woman comes along - I'll focus all of my attention on her." he said and made his move on the board.

XXXXX

TBC.

Reviews are much appreciated!


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or any of its characters.

Please refer to the Author's notes in Chapter 1.

Thank you to Just a Crazy-Man, Obsessive66, AngelQueen, Ataxia O'Rourke, Kushina98, Emberka-2012, royalpinkdogs, Mike, and Ace for the reviews and all of the readers following this story!

The Ripple Effect

Chapter 9

Kaitlyn found herself staring at the ceiling in her quarters. She frowned and sighed in exasperation. _This was not working._ She'd gotten a decent night's sleep the night before last, and now she couldn't sleep tonight. She threw the comforter off and sat up slowly. She could go and walk around, maybe get some tea. If that didn't help, she could swing by medical and see if the doctor on duty would give her a sedative. She pulled on a grey Starfleet sweatshirt and running shorts, then slipped into a pair of sneakers. Kaitlyn picked up her PADD and left her quarters.

She decided to head to the Dining Hall and get a cup of tea. She ordered a blend that had a hint of orange and spice to it and sat down at the Senior Officers' table. She turned on the PADD. She smiled softly and pulled up the collage picture that Trip Tucker had taken of all of them on their vacation after the signing of the United Federation of Planets Charter.

2161 - almost one hundred years ago. They had all made it through the Romulan War, each of them impacted by the war in different ways. She was glad that they all served together on the Invincible for almost two years under Archer's command. The Invincible and five other ships had each set out from Earth in different directions. They had traveled out for nine months, went across for six months, then headed back to Earth in the last nine months. Their objective had been to learn as much about their closest neighbors around Earth, and to see if longer missions had any adverse effects on the crews. The missions had been a success, so much so that longer missions were planned and implemented. The Invincible's next mission, with her husband Captaining the ship, had been for three years. She laughed softly as she fingered the image on the screen.

"What's so funny, Commander?" Jim Kirk asked as he sat down in the chair across from her and grinned as he offered her a fork. He indicated the large slice of chocolate cake he slid in the center of the table.

Kaitlyn accepted the fork and placed the PADD down on the table so he could see the photo. She ate a bite of the cake as her much younger Captain moved the PADD so he could see the picture better.

Jim Kirk grinned, "Wow - you still look that good in a bikini?"

Kaitlyn chuckled, "You know, if my husband were around - he'd knock you on your arse." she pointed out.

Kirk shrugged, "I'm sure if Bones heard me, he'd do the same." He ate a bite of cake and watched for her reaction to his statement.

Kaitlyn frowned and ate another bite of the cake. She really didn't want to talk to Jim about her feelings about Leonard right now.

Kirk picked the PADD up and flipped to another picture. This one was her in her MACO uniform when she was a Lieutenant Colonel, and her husband when he was the XO of the Invincible. They looked like a very formidable couple - one that you wouldn't want to cross, but definitely the people you'd want on your side in a fight. "I heard your husband ran a very tight ship - everything by the book." he commented.

Kaitlyn took another bite of cake and thought carefully. "He expected everyone to give 100 percent every day and for everyone to do their duty to the best of their ability. Trust and respect were very important. The crew knew he had their backs and he knew they had his. Some outsiders thought everything was too tight-laced, but that's because they didn't see all the things that went on when they weren't around." she shrugged.

Kirk was curious, "Like what?"

She took a sip of tea, "The celebrations, the silly contests that we held when things were going slow, the talent shows, the concerts - stuff like that. Things that get people to become friends, and not just remain co-workers for three to four years."

Jim Kirk watched as another small smile played at her lips. He could tell she missed those days. "I bet you ran a tight MACO Unit."

She ate another bite of cake, "You could say that."

"Both of your records are exemplary." he stated.

Kaitlyn watched him carefully and set her fork down. "You know, just because our records look great - doesn't mean everything was perfect." she pointed out. "There were a lot of hard decisions, some of them we ended up regretting."

Jim nodded slowly, "But everything worked out in the end."

"As well as could be expected." Kaitlyn smiled as Jim finished off the last of the cake. "Sometimes you want to do more to help people, but you can't. Take Kern, we visited them on our way back to Earth from our first mission. Their life span is only forty years. When we arrived, they were in crisis because half of their population was turning thirty in the next few years. Anyhow, it will be interesting to see how their world has changed since I visited them last."

"You couldn't help them?" Jim questioned.

"It's their genetics - we can't interfere with the evolution of a species. We might have inadvertently helped slow their appearance of aging a bit, but we couldn't do anything to violate the Prime Directive." Kaitlyn sighed.

"Slow their appearance of aging - how did that happen?"

"A group that wanted the government to put more resources into genetic research took over our ship when the heads of the Kern government were visiting. Unfortunately, one the bombs they brought with them exploded and seriously injured some of their people and our crew. We used some of my blood to make a serum to heal their burns and injuries. A side effect was that their age marks disappeared too. They were hopeful that the serum would help their people. We left them seven vials to aid in their research." Kaitlyn finished her tea and fingered the rim of the cup. "It's really hard to leave a planet when you know that half their population will be gone in ten years."

"This is the first time Starfleet's been back?" Kirk frowned. He would have thought that Starfleet would have wanted to know what had happened to the people of Kern.

"As far as I know, we are the first to return. We were contacted by Kern, they want to start talks about joining the Federation." Kaitlyn explained.

Jim nodded and watched her fiddle with her cup, "So why are you in here this late at night?"

Kaitlyn shrugged, "Can't sleep. I slept well the night before last - I don't understand it."

"Well, what did you do differently?" he questioned as he finished his glass of milk.

Kaitlyn thought back and a frown slowly enveloped her. _Leonard_. Leonard had stayed with her the other night on her couch. She couldn't have developed a bond with him - could she? She didn't need another complication in her life right now.

"Kaitlyn? You look like you're going to freak out - do I need to get Bones?" he offered.

She waved her hand as she stood up, "No, you don't need to wake him up." They took their dishes to the wash bin.

"He's still awake, said he wasn't looking forward to going to sleep." Jim glanced at her as they walked down the corridor and got on the lift. "I think you're confusing him." he said softly. "He likes you, but he knows you're not available. Our good doctor doesn't do confusion well."

They got off the lift and stopped at Jim's door. He grinned, "So sweet of you to walk me to my door."

Kaitlyn smiled and patted his arm, "You're welcome, Captain. See you in the morning." She turned and headed down the hall. She found herself in front of Leonard's door. She was about to push the door buzzer, but hesitated and leaned her head against the wall. What was she going to tell him - that she couldn't sleep because he wasn't with her? Sounded like a lame come on, not an actual problem. But, she'd had the same problem with her husband - they couldn't be away from each other for long. And when they had been separated for six months, it hadn't boded well for her health. She sighed, she had to at least tell him what she thought the problem was, then he could tell her that it was just her imagination and he'd send her to bed with a sedative.

She pushed the buzzer.

The door flew open and a very frazzled Leonard McCoy stood on the other side of the door, "What's wrong?" he questioned her quickly and moved for her to enter.

Kaitlyn looked at him skeptically, "I was just about to ask you the same thing." He looked like he'd been running his hand through his hair repeatedly, he looked very frustrated.

Leonard shook his head, "I just feel very unsettled right now, that's all." He looked at her closely, "And you?"

"Can I try something?" she questioned.

His eyebrows shot up, "That's a loaded question."

She reached for his hand and held it and watched for his reaction. The tension in his face went away, as did the stress in his shoulders.

"What are you doing?" he asked softly.

"Nothing, except just being in contact with you."

"So, you can calm me down just by holding my hand?" he looked skeptical, but couldn't argue with how he felt. He remembered reading in her medical files that her and her husband had some sort of Vulcan bond - though how they did when neither one of them was Vulcan, made no sense. "Is this some sort of Vulcan voodoo?" he questioned bitterly. That's all he needed, some kind of hobgoblin thing going on.

Kaitlyn quickly released his hand and stepped back. "I'm sorry that I bothered you." she turned and headed for the door quickly.

"Kaitlyn, wait - please." he sighed as he caught up with her at the door. He shrugged, "I didn't mean for that to sound so rude, I just don't understand all of the things Vulcans say they can do." he tried to explain. "Tell me what you think is going on - I promise I'll hear you out without making any snide comments."

She walked over to the couch and sat down, "I think with all of the distress I've been through recently, my mind was searching for someone to connect to and you stayed with me the other night." she shrugged gently.

Leonard scoffed, "Are you telling me you can't go to sleep without me?"

Kaitlyn couldn't tell if he was upset. "I don't know for sure, but I think so." she admitted.

He reached for her hand, "Okay. You can stay with me tonight and we'll see how we feel in the morning. But I'm not sleeping on the damn couch - my neck is still sore." He could feel her hesitation. "I promise I won't man-handle ya - no matter how much I might want too. My Dad would kill me if I wasn't a gentleman, especially towards you. He seems to have taken a liking to you." he stated.

She nodded, "Your Dad is a very honest man and he speaks his mind, there's not too many of his kind around anymore."

"Come on - let's see if your theory is correct." he led her around to the bedroom.

She watched as he pulled down the covers, "You don't seem too put off by this." she commented.

He stood beside her and touched her arm gently, "Why would I be upset?"

Kaitlyn closed her eyes for a moment and could feel the hope bubbling inside of him that they could become more than just friends. "What if I can only offer companionship?" she asked as she opened her eyes.

"I told you before that I'd rather be your friend, than nothing at all." then he shrugged. "But, I can always hope for more than that."

She smiled softly. She climbed into bed as he went into the bathroom and changed into a Starfleet Academy t-shirt and a pair of shorts.

Leonard flipped the lights off as he came out of the bathroom. He got into bed and offered his shoulder. He smiled as Kaitlyn moved closer and laid her head on him. "You probably won't want to mention to Jim that you stayed over here."

Kaitlyn closed her eyes tiredly, "He won't hear it from me, and I'd prefer that you don't mention it either." she requested.

Leonard grinned, "Your secret is safe with me." He realized within a few minutes that she was already asleep. _Not like he'd believe me anyhow_, he thought as he closed his eyes.

XXXXX

Kaitlyn smiled as she started to wake up. She'd slept so well. She hadn't felt this rested since . . . everything came rushing back to her. She wasn't . . . she wasn't supposed to be here. An overwhelming feeling of betrayal to her late husband enveloped her. She sat up and got out of the bed slowly so she wouldn't wake Leonard up. She quietly put her shoes on, then she bolted out the door.

She quickly raced to her quarters and grabbed her clean clothes and headed for the shower. She leaned against the shower wall and silently cried for the life she would never get back, and for her husband that she'd never be with again. She could feel her anger starting to build. _How the hell was she supposed to live with this for another five hundred years?_ She slammed her hand against the shower door and glass shattered everywhere. She pulled her hand back as pain seared through her palm. She quickly turned off the water and pulled out the shards of glass. She looked down at all of the glass covering the floor. She reached out carefully and got the towel off the wall and dropped it on the floor over the glass and stepped out of the shower gently. She flinched as some glass managed to cut her feet. She got another towel and wrapped it around herself. She quickly washed her hand in the sink and clenched a washcloth in her hand to stop the bleeding. She changed and went to the wall monitor and commed Maintenance and asked for a cleanup crew to come by her quarters.

Kaitlyn was tying her boots when the door buzzed. She opened it and nodded to the two young crewmen. "I'm sorry, but I broke my shower door." she stated as she indicated the bathroom.

Crewman Jackson glanced at her hand, "Did you fall into the glass, Ma'am?"

Kaitlyn frowned, "I slipped."

Jackson nodded, "We'll take care of the door and the glass, Ma'am. You should go to Medical and let them take care of your hand." he suggested.

"Thank you." she said, then headed down to Medical.

Luckily, the Gamma shift Doctor, Mullens, didn't ask too many questions and healed her hand and sent her on her way.

Kaitlyn was tempted to skip breakfast, but it would only be postponing the inevitable since they had the Morning Meeting at 0830. She took a deep breath and entered the Dining Hall.

XXXXX

Jim Kirk watched as his best friend kept glancing at the door of the Dining Hall. _Something was definitely up. _"Did you finally get to sleep last night?"

McCoy frowned as he stabbed a piece of sausage, "Yes." Leonard wondered what he'd done wrong. He'd woken up and Kaitlyn had already left. He looked up quickly as the door opened again.

Jim grinned as Kaitlyn walked through the door and he saw his friend sit up a little straighter. He opened his mouth to tease Bones when the man glared at him.

"Don't you dare say a word. Things are complicated enough without you stirring up trouble." Bones growled.

Jim Kirk nodded slowly. He knew when to not cross Bones - and this was one of those times.

Kaitlyn came over and sat down in her usual spot next to Leonard. "Good morning." she greeted the two of them as she put her napkin in her lap.

Scotty came over a moment later with his tray and sat down across from her. "Is your hand okay, Commander? The Maintenance crew told me your hand had been cut up pretty badly."

Kaitlyn kept her focus on Scotty and avoided looking at the other two men. "I'm fine, Doctor Mullens patched me up."

McCoy frowned and indicated for her to show him her hand.

She held her hand up so he could see the fiery red gashes on her right palm.

Bones inspected her hand closely.

Jim looked at her hand and raised an eyebrow, "What happened?"

Kaitlyn removed her hand from McCoy's grasp, "I slipped and my hand went through the shower door." she stated, then drank a sip of cranberry juice.

McCoy's eyes narrowed, "Isn't it safety glass?"

Scotty nodded, "Aye, it is." He knew it wasn't likely that she'd slipped, the safety glass was designed for such impacts. "We're going to analyze it and see if it is a design flaw."

Kaitlyn sighed softly, "Don't bother, Scotty. I didn't realize how hard I hit it. I'll pay for the replacement of the door."

McCoy sat back and shook his head slowly. _So, she'd been so mad that she slammed her hand through the glass door._ Great.

Kirk raised an eyebrow, "You and I will discuss the particulars of the door later." He glanced between the three of them and indicated the subject was dropped.

They ate in silence for a few more minutes. Bones was the first to leave, then Kaitlyn.

Jim leaned closer to Scotty, "How hard did she have to hit that door to make it shatter?"

Scotty dabbed his mouth, "A lot harder than most of us could, Captain." he pointed out.

Kirk stood up and patted his friend's shoulder, "See you in a little while." He dropped off his dishes and headed off to the Bridge.

XXXXX

They finished up the briefings at the Morning Meeting and Kirk stood up, "Dismissed." He glanced at Kaitlyn and sat back down, "Commander Donovan, stay for a moment."

She nodded and stood beside her chair. She waited until the others left, "Yes, Captain?"

Kirk watched her closely, "What got you so mad this morning?" he asked.

"It won't happen again." she promised and avoided his question.

It didn't fly. Kirk shook his head, "If recent events have caused you to become unstable, I can't have you on this ship." he pointed out simply.

"I'm not unstable!" she yelled.

He raised an eyebrow at her outbursts.

She took a calming breath, "I apologize, Captain. I was just upset. I regretted something I did and took it out on the shower door."

Kirk leaned back in his chair, "Very well. I'll dock your pay for the door. We arrive to Kern at 1300. You will report to one of the Doctors on board and discuss why you broke the shower door this morning." He raised an eyebrow when she opened her mouth to protest. "If you don't report to one of them by that time, I will order you to speak with Doctor Contrell this evening - and it will be logged in your personnel file that you were ordered to the psychologist, understood?"

Kaitlyn nodded, "Yes, Sir." She placed a PADD in front of him and tapped it gently, "Here is a more thorough briefing of the Kern."

He nodded and dismissed her.

XXXXX

Kaitlyn headed down to Medical. She wasn't about to talk to any of the other doctors, they didn't know all of her records - and she wasn't about to tell them. She stood at McCoy's office door and waited for him to look up from the monitor.

McCoy glanced at the door and stood up when he saw her, "I'm busy." he stated gruffly and brushed past her after he picked up a PADD from his desk.

Kaitlyn followed him slowly as he headed to one of the biobeds and began opening the drawers below the bed.

"Nurse Chapel!" he bellowed.

She came over quickly, "Yes, Doctor?"

"Make sure all of the beds are fully stocked - we won't have time in an emergency to run to the supply closet!" he ordered.

Chapel nodded and quickly headed to the supply closet.

Kaitlyn frowned and crossed her arms, "Is this what you do when you're upset - you take it out on everyone else?"

He whirled around to face her and pointed a finger at her, "Don't you dare!" he yelled. He tried to reign in his anger. "I told you, that I don't trust too many people - especially women. I let you stay with me last night and you ran off, then I find out that you slammed your hand through a damn shower door. I'm not going to let you walk all over me like my ex-wife did!"

Kaitlyn could tell that she'd done more damage to him by leaving this morning, than if she'd just told him then what was wrong. "I'm sorry." she said quietly. "I left because I felt guilty for being able to sleep so well with you." she admitted.

Leonard McCoy crossed his arms and shrugged, "No man will ever be able to meet the standards set by your late husband, Kaitlyn. No one. But he's been gone for over forty-eight years - didn't the two of you ever talk about this? He knew you were going to live for seven hundred years, right?" he questioned.

Kaitlyn frowned, "Yes, he knew - and yes, we discussed the fact that I would live far beyond our lives together. He expected me to move on to other relationships. But allowing myself to move on is harder than I realized."

He shook his head, "I think you need re-evaluate your situation. You won't let yourself get close to anyone, or let them get close to you. Only your oldest son knows you are still alive - you're letting the rest of your family think you died on Vulcan. Are sure that you're not just pushing yourself away from everyone so you can't get hurt again?"

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She'd realized what she'd been doing over the years - protecting herself from others, but she'd never had anyone call her on it. "Maybe that's what I have been doing."

Leonard nodded - at least she admitted it. He touched her arm gently, "I hate to tell you Kaitlyn - but just because you don't let people get close to you, doesn't mean it will hurt any less when you lose them. In fact, it will hurt worse because you'll have regrets." He turned her hand over and inspected the scars that were already starting to heal and disappear. He sighed, "You really do heal quickly." It was an amazing phenomenon of her Mother's species. He traced the scars gently with his thumb. He looked at her slowly, "Kaitlyn, I can't let my heart get ripped out again - I almost drank myself into oblivion last time." he admitted quietly.

Kaitlyn patted his chest gently, "My intention is not to rip your heart out, though I can't promise you a happy ever after." She touched the worry lines near his eyes, then smiled softly.

He rubbed her shoulder gently and took a deep breath. He glanced around Medical and sighed in relief when he realized no one else was around. He stepped back a respectable distance from her, "What did you tell Jim when he asked you about the door?"

"That I regretted doing something and I got angry at myself." she stated.

Leonard tilted his head, "I'll tell him that we discussed the situation, I won't tell him anything else."

She stepped back, "Well, I guess I'd better get a few more things done before we reach Kern."

Leonard McCoy nodded, "See you at lunch." He watched as she headed out the door. He stepped around the corner and looked in the supply closet. He raised an eyebrow at Christine Chapel - there was no way she hadn't heard their conversation. He sighed softly, "Whatever you heard, I don't want you to repeat it."

She nodded and smiled softly at her often grumpy boss. He was really a very good hearted man, he just tried to cover it up with gruffness. She quickly started to stock all of the biobeds with as much as she could fit into each drawer as Doctor McCoy headed back to his office.

XXXXX

Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and Donovan beamed down to Kern's Grand Council building. They looked around slowly at the busy room filled with people and children heading various places.

A few of the people watched the newcomers curiously, then approached slowly.

One of the young men gasped, "Eps Alshen." he dropped to his knee in front of Kaitlyn and word quickly spread through the room. They all quickly dropped to their knees.

Spock looked curiously at Kaitlyn, "It seems they know you, Commander."

Kirk and McCoy looked up at the approaching middle aged man wearing lavish robes as he made his way through the kneeling crowds.

"Alshen!" the man smiled brightly.

The Universal translator clicked loudly as it recognized the language.

The man stopped in front of Kaitlyn and dropped to his knee, "Welcome, Mother."

All three Enterprise men raised their eyebrows at Kaitlyn.

XXXXX

T.B.C.

Reviews are much appreciated!


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or any of its characters.

Please refer to the Author's notes in Chapter 1.

Thank you to Just a Crazy-Man, Obsessive66, AngelQueen, Ataxia O'Rourke, Kushina98, Emberka-2012, royalpinkdogs, Mike, and Ace for the reviews and all of the readers following this story!

The Ripple Effect

Chapter 10

Commander Kaitlyn Donovan looked around the Kern's Grand Council building and raised an eyebrow. There were a lot of people going back and forth on business. She heard the laughter of children and turned in their direction. _Children?_ There were many of them - like they were on a school field trip. _How was that possible?_ The Kern maturing took place at a breakneck pace. Once a Kern was born, in ten days they were a fully mature young adult. She had seen this process first hand on the Invincible. _How could there be so many children at the same age, at the same time?_

She was brought out of her reverie as she heard one of the young men gasp, "Eps Alshen." he dropped to his knee in front of Kaitlyn. Word quickly passed over the room and all of them dropped to their knees.

She looked up at the young man in the robes of a Minister quickly approached. "Alshen!" he smiled brightly, then he dropped to his knee. "Welcome, Mother."

Kirk, Spock, and McCoy all turned to her with raised eyebrows.

Kaitlyn quickly motioned for the people to get up. She looked at the Enterprise crew, "The Universal Translator is confused. Alshen means 'One who gave us life', it is translating it to 'Mother' - which is not correct." she explained. She looked at the young man, "Do I know you Minister?" she asked, he looked vaguely familiar.

He nodded, "I am Talian, Garoth's son." He looked over her uniform, "You do not wear a sidearm anymore with your uniform?" he questioned.

Talian. He'd been but a child when she had visited. She blinked rapidly as she wondered how he could possibly still be alive after all of this time. "I have changed jobs, Minister. I am now the First Contact Officer for the Enterprise." She indicated each man as she introduced them. "This is Captain Jim Kirk; his Executive Officer, Commander Spock; and our Chief Medical Officer, Doctor McCoy."

The men shook Minister Talian's hand as the rest of the crowd stood up and gathered around the visitors.

Kaitlyn glanced at the people, realizing that they were interested in her. She bowed slightly to them, "Yan hanna mehn."

The people smiled and bowed slightly, then went to carry on with their business.

Minister Talian nodded to Kaitlyn, "I am pleased you still remember our language, Mother."

Kaitlyn touched his arm gently, "Could you please just call me Commander Donovan?" she suggested.

Talian smiled, "Certainly, Commander Donovan." He raised an eyebrow as he watched her glance curiously at all of the people. "You are wondering why there are so many children, even perhaps why I am still alive?" he questioned her.

Kaitlyn nodded, "Yes, Minister Talian, I am very curious as to how this is all possible."

"Because of you, Commander. You truly are our Alshen." Talian stated. "Please, allow me to show you to our Conference Room and I will answer your questions." he suggested.

The Enterprise crew followed Minister Talian down the corridors. He led them to the Conference Room and they sat down at one end of the large oval table as servers quickly brought in water and fruit for them.

Minister Talian waved to their surroundings, "When the Invincible came, you left us with hope." he pointed out. "Our genetic researchers were able to further our knowledge of genetic sequencing. We were quickly able to extend the life of our elders, then we started a series of genetic re-sequencing on them. We have also lengthened the stage of adolescence for our people. Every ten years, our citizens go through the re-sequencing process. Unfortunately, we have reached a setback. Our elders are now dying, seven re-sequencings seems to be the maximum."

Captain Kirk looked at the Minister curiously, "So, your people that use to live for only forty years are now able to live to one hundred?" he questioned.

Talian nodded, "Yes, Captain Kirk. We have grown as a society. It has not been easy, we have had to make many adjustments to accommodate a world with so many people. But, we believe those challenges have been worth it." he smiled.

Commander Spock sat back and contemplated the drain of resources needed to supply so many people. "How have you kept your world's food supply at an optimum level?" he inquired.

"We had to start trading with surrounding worlds, it was difficult. Then, about twenty years ago, we purchased a machine that changed our lives. We had to manufacture many more, but now every home has one." He walked over to the wall, "It is called a Nutritional Unit. It uses stored energy to produce food for us." he explained.

Kaitlyn stood up quickly and walked over to the wall unit. It looked slightly different, but it sounded like a replicator. "Does it make anything other than food?" she asked. The others walked over to look at the unit.

"No, just food." Minister Talian explained. "Would you like for me to have something made for you? Perhaps a slice of fruit cake?" he offered.

Kaitlyn nodded.

Minister Talian put a plate in the opening, then quickly pressed a few buttons and a few moments later, the slice of fruit cake was produced on a plate. He handed her the plate and a fork.

She took a bite of the cake and nodded, "Just like I remember." She took a deep breath, "Minister, whom did you purchase the Nutritional Unit from?" she questioned and handed the plate of cake for Jim to taste.

"My father actually made the transaction. Would you like to ask him? He may remember." Talion suggested.

"Yes, I would like that very much." she smiled.

Talian left to make the arrangements.

"Okay, what's up with this machine?" McCoy questioned her.

"The replicator is a future technology. Ambassador Spock had Admiral Kenmore create one, and the engineers are making more as we speak. I believe this is something made from Nero's ship that he sold off. It is interesting that it is only able to make food - that would suggest the programming was restricted." she pointed out.

"You mean it is supposed to make more than just food?" Kirk inquired.

"It can replicate anything it has in its database." Kaitlyn explained.

Commander Spock was contemplating the impact the replicator would have on the timeline now, before it was originally introduced. _How could the Ambassador have this item made?_ _Didn't he understand the implications?_ But then, as was now evident, it had already been introduced into this timeline by Nero. He understood how such a technology had helped this planet and its people. He was filled with questions. He looked up as he could feel Commander Donovan's eyes on him.

She understood his apprehension, she'd had the same contemplations. Kaitlyn turned her attention to Kirk, "We need to speak with Garoth and find out who he bought the original unit from. I would expect that the Federation will want to know how the Kern extended their life span, before they will even consider their admittance into the Federation." she explained.

Kirk nodded, "You and I will speak to Garoth and Mr. Spock and Dr. McCoy will learn all they can on how they extended their lives." he directed.

Minister Talian came over and smiled brightly, "Father is most pleased that you are here, Commander Donovan and wishes to see you immediately."

Kirk nodded and quickly explained to Talian that Spock and McCoy would need to speak with the Kern's top geneticists.

Talian motioned and one of his assistants came over quickly, "Please show Commander Spock and Doctor McCoy to the Ministry of Life and see that Ministers Delvon and Sans make time for them and answer their questions."

The assistant quickly led Spock and McCoy away.

As they walked down the halls and through the streets, Talian kept glancing at Kaitlyn. "It is amazing that you have not seemed to age." he commented.

Kaitlyn nodded, "I'm sure your scientists realized that I was not completely human."

Talian smiled, "You have very interesting genetic markers." he agreed as they came to a home and went up the steps. The door was open for them and they went in.

"Minister Garoth is in the study." the assistant stated.

Talian led them to the study and went to his father, "Father, this is Captain Kirk of the Enterprise, and his First Contact Officer Commander Donovan." he introduced them.

Garoth stood up slowly from his chair and used his cane to help him walk over to them. "It is a pleasure to met you, Captain Kirk." he shook the younger man's hand firmly. "It is my belief that Kern is now at a point in which we can contribute to the Federation, if they'll have us."

Kirk smiled at the man, "We are here to evaluate that, Minister."

Garoth looked at Kaitlyn and smiled slowly, "I never thought I'd see you again - Commander now, is it?" He had noted the change of uniform, but most of all - he'd noticed that her demeanor had shifted. She wasn't emanating that extreme confidence she use to carry around with her.

Kaitlyn nodded, "Yes, Minister. I have changed jobs and titles over the years. You are looking well for someone that should have been dead sixty years ago." she stated.

Garoth chuckled, "Now that is the Kaitlyn Donovan I knew." He indicated for them to sit down at the table for four. "I suppose we should have given you notice that we extended our lives, but you were very adamant about not violating the Prime Directive." he pointed out as he sat down in the chair. He looked at her and frowned, "Will you get into trouble when the Federation learns about us?"

Kaitlyn shook her head, "I don't think so, all indications are that your genetic re-sequencing is what really extended your life spans. I'm very interested in learning how you dealt with all of the issues surrounding your extended lives."

"I will be happy to speak to you about our trials and tribulations." Garoth smiled, then turned to Kirk. "First, I would like to extend an invitation to your crew for shore leave - as I remember, the crew of the Invincible enjoyed our planet. I would also like to invite your Senior staff to a celebration dinner."

Kirk nodded, "That would be wonderful, Minister."

Kaitlyn reached forward and touched Garoth's hand gently, "I must ask you something of importance. I need to know who you bought the first Nutritional Unit from - do you remember?" she asked.

Garoth nodded and motioned for his son to retrieve the ledger from his desk, "I've kept an entry of each encounter we've made." Talian handed his father the ledger. Garoth flipped the pages back and ran his finger down the page. "Garav, an Andorian." he stated. "He was an interesting one." he recalled, thinking back to the blue skinned Andorian. "He had a wide selection of items and was on his way to the Mobius Outpost, if I recall correctly."

Kaitlyn patted Garoth's hand, "Thank you, Minister."

"I invite you to stay at the Council's Visitors Suites while you are here." Minister Talian offered.

XXXXX

Commander Spock and Doctor McCoy watched as Ministers Delvon and Sans explained the genetic re-sequencing process all adult Kerns went through every ten years.

"It is a fascinating process - have there been any side effects?" Spock questioned them.

Minister Delvon sighed, "Not immediately, but the end of life is very quick. One day the elder is fine, then next day they notice the aches of age and time quickly catches up with them."

"How long does the elder have, once they start exhibiting symptoms?" McCoy questioned.

"Ten days." Sans stated. "Rather ironic - our adolescent stage use to be only ten days."

"I'd like to study your research further." McCoy indicated.

"You are more than welcome to." Delvon indicated for an assistant to collect the research and put it on a PADD for the doctor. "Would you like to see the procedure?" he asked.

They nodded and followed him to a normal looking room with a large cylinder machine near a bank of computers with three technicians working.

"Who is coming in next?" Delvon questioned one of the technicians.

"A woman, this is her fourth treatment." the technician explained.

The woman was led in the room by another technician and nodded to the men. She quickly got on the examining table and another technician gave her an injection after she laid down. The woman and the examining table were quickly sent into the machine.

The men moved to watch the monitors as the three technicians went to work on the genetic re-sequencing. They were finished in ten minutes and the woman re-emerged from the machine.

Minister Sans nodded to the woman as she left. "We have the procedure down to ten minutes and then citizens can go about their normal lives."

Spock lifted an eyebrow, "Are there people that chose not to go through the procedure?"

Minister Delvon nodded, "There are some, but most citizens chose to go through the re-sequencing."

XXXXX

Captain James Kirk was shown to the Council's Visitors Suites and looked around the very lavish accommodations. He came back out of one of the bedrooms and found a beautiful raven haired woman sitting at one of the stools at the kitchen counter. He smiled brightly as he walked over to her. "Hello, I'm Captain James Kirk." he introduced himself.

The woman smiled, "I'm Anjay - it's a pleasure to meet you, Captain Kirk." She lifted her brow as he sat down on the stool beside her. "Tell me, Captain - is it true that Kaitlyn Donovan is here with you?" she questioned.

Kirk nodded slowly, "She is - she should be here shortly." Anjay was a beautiful woman. "Do you know Kaitlyn?" he asked.

Anjay grinned, "She's my mother - of course I know her."

"You mean she's your Alshen." Kirk clarified.

Anjay patted his hand gently, "Well, she raised me through my adolescence, so I consider her my mother, not just my Alshen."

The door to the suite opened and Kaitlyn came in.

Kirk got off the stool and looked at Kaitlyn questionably.

Kaitlyn smiled at Anjay and walked over to her quickly. She hugged Anjay tightly for a few moments, then stepped back. "You are looking very good, Anjay."

Anjay nodded, "So are you, Kaitlyn." She glanced at Kirk, "I think your Captain is confused." she pointed out.

Kaitlyn looked at James Kirk and saw the confusion, "Captain, the Invincible found Anjay's parents' ship adrift as we were traveling. We found Anjay when she looked to be about six months old. It took us nine days to bring her back to Kern, during that time I helped take care of her." she explained. "She aged about two years every day - it was very challenging."

James Kirk watched as the women sat down on the couch and started to talk quietly with each other. He found it amazing that Anjay didn't look older than himself - but clearly she was quite older. "Would you like something to drink?" he offered them as he decided to play host.

XXXXX

Dinner that evening was a rather formal event, with the Enterprise crew dressed in their Formal uniforms, and the Kern dressed in their best. The musicians played softly in the background during the meal.

James Kirk was doing a fine job of keeping up the conversations with the Ministers as his Senior Staff kept up the conversations with the people seated next to them during dinner.

James glanced at Anjay as he learned that she was the Minister of Security. She was definitely a very interesting woman. "How did you become interested in pursuing a career in Security?" he asked her quietly.

"I was actually a scientist at first - my parents were both Warp Engineers, so I thought I'd follow their path. But I was not happy. I only lived on the Invincible for nine days, but the crew were very influential to me. They were dedicated to exploration and they treated me like their own. They took security very seriously, and that diligence got me Kern. I have never forgotten what I learned from them. I take my people's security just as seriously, Captain Kirk." she stated.

"I bet you do." he grinned.

Leonard McCoy frowned slightly as he saw Jim flirting with the Minister of Security. Kaitlyn had introduced her to him and Spock when they had arrived at the Suites. He found Kaitlyn's connection to the Kern very interesting.

"What are you frowning for, Leonard?" Kaitlyn asked beside him.

"Our dear Captain is flirting with Anjay." he indicated.

Kaitlyn smiled as she sipped her drink, "They'll be fine."

McCoy raised an eyebrow, "Really?" He knew exactly where his best friend wanted to end up this evening.

Kaitlyn shrugged as dinner finished and the guests began heading to the next room to converse with one another.

"How long is this going to go on?" McCoy questioned as they walked to the other room.

"Well, in about thirty minutes, they will start serving coffee and dessert." she explained.

Leonard McCoy frowned again, he found these dinners nerve racking. "Did you get to talk to Admiral Archer this afternoon?"

She nodded, "He's intrigued with the Kern's extension of their life span - as I'm sure many others are. I also talked to Robert, he's looking into the Andorian that sold the Nutritional Unit to the Kern." she took a sip of her water.

Leonard reached for her hand and inspected the almost non-existent scars, "Any pain?" he inquired.

"No, I'm just fine." She looked at him curiously as he didn't let go of her hand and instead he held it gently.

"Do you think they'd notice if we disappeared?"

Kaitlyn grinned, "They'd notice if I left. I tell you what, I'll go around and mingle until coffee and dessert are served and maybe that will satisfy their curiosity of me."

Leonard noticed just how many of the Kern were watching her. He didn't understand how she could be at ease with so many people scrutinizing her. He let go of her hand and nodded. "Will you be staying with me tonight?" he asked quietly.

Kaitlyn smiled and patted his arm gently as she leaned closer to him, "I will definitely be staying with you tonight." With that said, she turned and headed to the first group of Kern that were near and started up a conversation with them.

McCoy glanced to his left as Spock stood beside him.

They watched in silence as the Kern gravitated to Kaitlyn to listen to her.

"Commander Donovan is an interesting woman." Spock stated.

McCoy huffed, "That's a bit of an understatement."

Spock looked at the doctor, "Has she talked to you about what occurred here when the Invincible came?" he questioned.

McCoy started to get a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Why?"

"I find it curious that she did not mention to us that they stole bone marrow from her." Spock stated.

McCoy tried to keep his temper from flaring, "Stole?" he questioned.

Spock nodded, "I read Admiral Archer's report of the incident. She was being treated by the Kern for radiation and apparently they extracted some of her bone marrow. Seven vials of serum would not have been enough for them to further their genetic research." he pointed out.

McCoy crossed his arms, "But her DNA would." He shook his head - how could she be comfortable with people that had done that to her? "I'll ask her about it later."

Spock nodded and looked around the room carefully, "I need to return to the Enterprise, I will come back tomorrow morning. Is there anything you require?" he asked.

McCoy shook his head and watched as the Vulcan went to tell the Captain he was leaving. He went and sat down at one of the benches and waited. He pulled out the PADD that Minister Delvon had prepared for him and started reading.

He was so enveloped in his reading, he hadn't noticed Kaitlyn's approach. He looked up distractedly, then noted that they were the only two left in the room - other than the cleanup crew.

She sat down beside him on the bench and smiled tiredly. "What has your attention so completely?" she inquired.

McCoy rubbed his eyes and turned off the PADD, "I was just reading the information on the Kern's genetic research." He watched her carefully and realized why she wasn't upset at the Kern. "Did you allow them to take your bone marrow?"

Kaitlyn clasped her hands in her lap and looked around the room slowly. She sighed softly, "What was I supposed to do? We couldn't just leave them to face extinction, but we couldn't just outright violate the Prime Directive either."

Leonard McCoy reached for her hand and held it for a moment, then turned it over and examined her now unblemished palm. He was still amazed at her body's healing process. "I understand. Faced with them same decision, I would have made the same one."

"Do they mention me in their research? I know the Federation Science Council will want a copy of it." she indicated his PADD.

"No. They just mention that with their newly funded researched they started with a focus on bone marrow and from their findings, they increased their ability to re-sequence genetic material." McCoy explained.

Kaitlyn nodded. The Kerns had kept her name and the Invincible out of their reports, which is what they had agreed to do. She smiled softly, "Do you happen to know where our Captain is?"

McCoy smirked, "I can give you two guesses. Either her place, or ours." He stood up and rolled his sore shoulders. He hadn't realized how long he'd been sitting there in the same position while he was reading the report.

"I'm sure they are not in the Visitor's Suite." she said softly as they started making their way back to the suite.

"What makes you so sure?"

"Intuition." she shrugged as they entered the quiet suite of rooms. She grinned.

Leonard had to smile, "So . . . your place or mine?" he tried to sound suave.

"Mine because I know he won't come bursting into my room without permission." she headed to her door and waited for him to follow.

Leonard turned off the main room light after she had turned her room light on, then shut the door behind him after he entered. His eyes widened as she took off her jacket and pulled her uniform top off. "You know, I need to go change." he backed up.

Kaitlyn walked over to him, "You don't need to change."

He was perplexed, wasn't this the same woman that had bolted from his room this morning? He raised an eyebrow in question.

She kissed him gently on the lips until he responded.

He pulled her closer and kissed her hungrily. He smiled sheepishly when he pulled back, he needed to put the brakes on this fast moving train. He was sure that what he wanted right now wasn't what she was ready for.

She smiled as she turned off the light behind him and the only glimmer was from behind the curtained windows. She unbuttoned his jacket and took it off of him and let it drop to the floor. She raised her eyebrow as she snuck her hands under his uniform top and ran her hands along his sides.

He kissed her again as she took off his top, quickly followed by her skirt and his pants. She pushed him back on the bed and moved over him.

Sweet, sweet torture was what this was - that's what Leonard McCoy decided as she continued to kiss his chest, his shoulder, and his throat and kept running her hands over his body. He wasn't going to be able to control himself much longer. He quickly rolled them over so he was on top. She was breathing heavily as he kissed along the edges of her bra. She moaned softly and it nearly undid him. He looked into her eyes and saw a woman on the verge of losing control herself.

She ran her hands along his sides and bit her lip gently, "Do you want me to stop?" she questioned.

"Hell no!" Leonard growled and proceeded to kiss her possessively.

XXXXX

Leonard McCoy kept his arms around Kaitlyn as she slept with her head on his chest. She'd dozed off a little while ago, but he couldn't fall asleep. The little voice of Hades in the back of his head kept telling him over and over that she was going to wake up and regret what they'd done. He sighed heavily and glanced at the clock. _He really needed to get some sleep_. He should be happy and content - hell, he should be elated at the moment. Damn his ex-wife for screwing with his mind!

Kaitlyn lifted her head from his chest and looked at him questionably, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." he shook his head and sighed again. He rubbed her back gently and tried to relax.

She knew he was upset, but she wasn't going to push him. She could wait him out. She patted his chest and kissed him gently, "Okay." She laid her head back down and closed her eyes. She smiled softly as his heart rate changed and started to beat faster.

"I can't go to sleep." he admitted.

Kaitlyn propped herself up on her elbow, "I can help you, if you let me." she offered.

"Sure." he shrugged.

"Roll over on your stomach." she directed as she sat up beside him. She ran her hands down his spine and found the vertebrae she was looking for. "Breath in deeply, then breath out slowly." She had him repeat the deep breathing a few more times, then pressed on the vertebrae firmly. She felt a distinct pop, then his body relaxed completely. She smiled and laid back down.

Leonard rolled over and smiled tiredly, he could barely keep his eyes open.

Kaitlyn moved closer to him and grinned as he quickly fell asleep - that little Vulcan technique always worked. She wrapped her arm around him and closed her eyes.

XXXXX

Leonard McCoy frowned as he came out of the bedroom in a towel wrapped around his waist and found Jim Kirk on the couch with his feet propped up on the coffee table and sipping a mug of coffee.

Jim raised an eyebrow at his best friend that was caught red handed. "I wondered who was going to come out of that door first. Enjoy your shower?" he grinned.

Leonard sat down in the chair and watched Jim. "I know you like to tease - but could you just refrain from your normal tendencies? I don't want to rock the boat right now, okay?" he asked for his friend to lay off for awhile.

"I understand." Jim nodded and smirked. "You know, it was probably a good idea you weren't in your room."

Leonard shook his head as he stood up, "I don't want to know." He went to his room, "How did your evening go?"

Jim grinned, "Just fine, thank you for asking." He followed his friend and leaned against the door frame as Bones picked up his clean clothes and headed to the bathroom to change. "I came in here to tell you this morning when I got back. Imagine my surprise when you weren't in here."

Leonard came out in his uniform and sat down and pulled his socks on. He sighed as he realized that his boots were in Kaitlyn's room.

Jim chuckled at his predicament, "Want me to go get them for you?"

Leonard stood up and walked over to his friend, "Why don't you make yourself useful and get the rest of us some coffee too?" he suggested, then headed back to Kaitlyn's room.

XXXXX

Jim Kirk sat back at the table of the Conference Room and closed his eyes. They finished the rest of the submission paperwork on the PADD for Kern's interest in joining the Federation just a few minutes ago and Kaitlyn had gone to have Spock double check everything before they sent it off. They had been working since this morning and through lunch to get it all completed today. Luckily, Kaitlyn had told each of the Ministers the day before the information they would need for the submission, and they had all come prepared. He couldn't imagine doing all of this paperwork with a planet that wasn't as organized. He opened his eyes and smiled as Anjay sat down in the chair beside him.

"You look tired, Captain." she noted as she sat back in her chair.

He leaned closer, "Could it be because someone kept me up all night?"

Anjay leaned closer to him, "Sorry about that." She smiled and patted his hand, "You are leaving tomorrow?"

Jim nodded and watched her carefully.

"If you come over to my place again tonight - I promise to let you get some sleep."

"Some?" he raised an eyebrow at her.

XXXXX

Commander Donovan walked towards to Ministry of Life to meet up with Commander Spock and Doctor McCoy.

They were coming out of the building as she approached. "Are you finished with your reports?" she asked.

Commander Spock nodded, "We finished sixteen minutes ago. Are you finished?" he glanced at the PADD in her hand.

Kaitlyn nodded, "I would appreciate if you would look it over and make sure we haven't left anything out."

Spock accepted the PADD, "I will read it while on Bridge duty." He glanced between the two of them, "Will you be staying planet side tonight like the Captain?" he inquired.

Kaitlyn looked at her watch, "Minister Garoth has invited us to dinner, but I don't know how late it will be before we are finished. Maybe we should stay here in the Suites."

Leonard rolled his eyes, "A dinner - is it like last night? Because that lasted until after midnight." he grumbled.

She frowned at him, "You obviously did not get enough sleep last night."

Leonard was about to retort, then glanced at Spock and closed his mouth.

Spock raised an eyebrow.

"Doctor McCoy and I are staying here tonight." Kaitlyn told Spock.

Commander Spock nodded, "Very well. I will see the two of you in the Council Conference Room in the morning." He pulled out his communicator, "Enterprise, one to beam up." A few moments later he dematerialized.

Leonard McCoy raised a skeptical eyebrow at her.

Kaitlyn grinned then scowled as she turned around quickly when she got an uneasy feeling.

They were quickly surrounded by ten men pointing weapons at them.

One of the men stepped forward, "You need to come with us, Alshen."

XXXXX

TBC.

Reviews are much appreciated!


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or any of its characters.

Please refer to the Author's notes in Chapter 1.

Thank you to Just a Crazy-Man, Obsessive66, AngelQueen, Ataxia O'Rourke, Kushina98, Emberka-2012, royalpinkdogs, Mike, Ace, Zedoc, and Saissa for the reviews and all of the readers following this story!

The Ripple Effect

Chapter 11

Kaitlyn started to stir awake and frowned as she felt the pain in her upper left arm. She slowly started to recognize the familiar hum of machines in Medical on Enterprise. She opened her eyes and winced at the bright lights. She tried to sit up, but felt a strong hand quickly press on her right shoulder to keep her where she was.

"You are not going anywhere until I say so." Leonard stated.

Kaitlyn sighed softly as he rubbed her shoulder gently. She knew he'd been worried. They had been surrounded and she had known she couldn't take them all down by herself - not without Leonard being hurt in the process. But, good to her word, Anjay had a team of Security close by to keep a watch on them. The Kern Security team had swiftly taken down the armed men that had surrounded them. Unfortunately, she'd been shot in the upper arm in the crossfire. "It just grazed my arm, I'll be fine." She pushed the button and raised the head of the bed to a sitting position.

"Why didn't you tell us about the factions that Anjay told you about?" he frowned as he crossed his arms.

"She didn't think they'd cause any trouble." Kaitlyn shrugged slightly. "Where's Jim?"

"Yelling at Anjay. He's mad that she didn't tell him. They'll be here in a minute." Leonard looked up as the doors to Medical opened.

Kirk came over to Kaitlyn's bed and nodded to her. "Glad you're okay." He glanced at Anjay, then to Kaitlyn. "I'm not pleased that both of you kept us in the dark about these factions." he frowned.

Anjay flushed slightly, "As I stated earlier, I did not think they were a real threat - but I did keep security on Kaitlyn to ensure her safety."

Kirk shook his head, "What's your excuse?" he asked Kaitlyn.

"Commander Spock would have felt it necessary to assign Enterprise Security to protect me. As a First Contact Officer, I need to be able to interact with people and put them at ease. I can't do that with a Security team following me." Kaitlyn stated. She glanced at Leonard as he scowled at her explanation.

Jim Kirk watched Kaitlyn carefully, then glanced at the others. "Will you two give us a few minutes?" he requested.

McCoy looked surprised, but he nodded and led Anjay to his office.

Jim sat down on the stool beside her bed, "Is that just a line you FCOs are supposed to feed the Captains?" he questioned.

Kaitlyn smiled, "It is a prepared statement." She glanced across the room at McCoy's office door, then back to her Captain. "It is partly true in this instance as to why I didn't tell you. The other reason is that it would have to be entered into their Federation submission paperwork that the Kern are having some internal problems. One of the factions wants to end the gene re-sequencing all together, and the other faction wants to try to lengthen their life spans again, while a majority of the population just wants to keep things as they are."

Jim nodded slowly, "Unfortunately, it will now have to be entered and it will be noted that one of those groups tried to kidnap you." he pointed out.

She took a deep breath, "We need them in the Federation, Jim. They are willing to mine and trade for the materials we need to rebuild our fleet. We lost a lot of ships to Nero."

"You think the Federation would be willing to overlook the fact that they are having internal problems?" he frowned - he didn't think so.

"No, but if the groups are talking with each other - I can submit that in my report." Kaitlyn said.

"And who's going to get them to start talking to each other?" Jim looked up quickly at her when he realized what she intended to do. "No." He stood up, and started to pace. "They tried to kidnap you."

Kaitlyn understood his hesitancy. "You could offer them the neutral territory of the Enterprise Conference Room - I could speak with them here and explain the situation."

Jim stopped pacing. _He knew she was right_ - the Federation needed the Kern now probably more than they realized. He also knew that if he didn't agree, she'd probably beam down to the planet and speak with them anyway. At least if they were here, Spock would ensure everyone remained safe. "Okay. I'll have Anjay contact them and I'll have Spock arrange for the meeting here." He nodded, then went to McCoy's office.

Kaitlyn leaned back and closed her eyes. She knew she had to get all of the groups to start talking to one another. Ambassador Spock had said that in the other universe she was very good at being an Ambassador, she just hoped she could hone in on whatever skills she had to make this work. She opened her eyes and was going to call out for Nurse Chapel, but Leonard was already on his way over to her. He didn't look happy either.

He quickly ran the scanner over her again and had to admit he was pleased with the readings. He indicated that he wanted to look over her wound. He unwrapped the gauze and tossed the blood stained wrap away. He inspected the darkened spot on her upper arm where the phaser had hit her. "How bad is the pain?" he questioned.

"Not too bad, but my shoulder is a really stiff from when I hit the ground." she admitted softly as she watched him.

Leonard nodded and loaded a hypo with a pain reliever. He injected her, then wrapped her arm again. "How about I walk you to your quarters so you can change, then we'll go get dinner?" he suggested as he got a sling for her arm and put it on her.

Kaitlyn nodded, "Sounds like a good idea." Then she stopped, "We are supposed to have dinner with Garoth." she remembered.

"It was called off - he said for you to rest tonight and that maybe we could have lunch with him tomorrow." he explained as she got down from the bed and they started walking.

"Thanks for not stripping me down and putting one of those gowns on me." she gave him a small smile as they walked out of Medical and down the corridor to the lift.

Leonard McCoy grinned slightly, "I had thought about it." _He had been afraid when they were surrounded by that group of armed men_. He was afraid that he'd lose her - that he'd never see her again, and he didn't know what he'd do without her.

Kaitlyn saw his expression change as they stepped off the lift and went to her quarters. She turned to him when the doors closed behind them.

He looked at her questionably.

She touched his cheek gently, "I'm fine. We're both okay." she reassured him.

He kissed her softly on the lips, then leaned his forehead against hers. He took a deep breath and stepped back, "Go change so we can eat dinner."

Kaitlyn smiled slowly, "I think I need your help changing."

McCoy raised an eyebrow, "Are you going to play the damsel in distress now?"

She shrugged, "Whatever it takes to get you to help me."

XXXXX

Captain Kirk and Commander Spock joined them for dinner.

"The groups want to come up here at 1900." Jim told Kaitlyn as he started to eat his chicken tetrazzini.

Kaitlyn nodded slowly. She hadn't expected them to agree to meet so quickly, _maybe they understood the situation better than she thought they did._

"Will you be prepared?" Spock questioned her.

She looked up at him slowly, "I know what I need to say."

McCoy shook his head, "You should really get some rest."

Spock watched as Commander Donovan smiled at the doctor. He raised an eyebrow when the doctor blushed slightly. _What has caused such a response from the doctor?_ The doctor had made a legitimate suggestion, after all - she had been shot just a few hours ago.

"I'll rest after I speak with them - I promise." Kaitlyn told McCoy.

XXXXX

Commander Kaitlyn Donovan looked out the Conference Room window as she waited for their guests to arrive.

She had spoken to Admiral Archer and advised him on the situation. He had agreed with her that the Federation needed the Kern and that she should try to get the factions to start talking to one another.

Then she had spoken with Ambassador Spock and asked for any advice he could give her.

"I remember visiting their planet. Their internal strife at the time kept them from being accepted into the Federation initially. When they did eventually join, Admiral Kirk said they had seemed bitter that it had taken so long. If you can make them see the logic of making amends with each other now, perhaps their planet will not have to wait so long for admission into the Federation." Ambassador Spock stated.

"But how do I get them to see reason?" she questioned.

Ambassador Spock steepled his fingers together as he thought. "Use your own experiences to show them that you are sincere - that is what you have always done and it has never failed." he pointed out to her.

Kaitlyn had thanked him for his insight and promised that she would communicate with him again in a few days.

Kaitlyn turned as the three Kern entered, she walked over and bowed to them.

Minister Talian represented the people that just wanted things to stay as they were. Edeb, a younger man from a southern continent, represented the people that wanted to further research and extend their lifespan. Andele, a middle aged woman from a western continent, represented the people that wanted to abandon gene re-sequencing altogether.

Commander Kaitlyn Donovan indicated for them to sit down at the table. "I would first like to thank you for meeting together and listening to one another's points of view." She nodded to each of them. "I'd first like to hear - without any interruptions - why the people you represent think the way you do about the situation. I need to understand." she explained.

She listened to each of them carefully and noted that the others listened with just as much interest. She nodded and sat back in her chair as she poured them each a cup of hot tea. "You each have a unique way of looking at the situation." She took a sip of tea, then set the cup down. "I can not help but feel responsible for the situation. If I had not allowed you to have my DNA to research, you would probably not be to this point."

"We would all be dead." Talian pointed out as he looked at the others. "There is no doubt in anyone's mind of that fact." The others nodded in confirmation.

Andele looked at Kaitlyn curiously, "We do not blame you for our situation, Alshen. We have just reached the point in our society that we do not agree about what to do next."

Kaitlyn gave them a small smile, "I can't tell you what is best for your planet, but I do know that if you don't come to some sort of compromise - the Federation will delay their decision on your submission to the Federation." She looked at each of them, "May I impart with you some information about myself?"

They nodded and watched her.

"I have found myself in each of your shoes at different points of my life. There are times that I wished I had only lived as long as my husband, because it was so hard to carry on without him. There are also times that I want to keep going because I know there is so much more that I can do in this world. The fact is, I am to live for another six hundred years and I'm not sure that I want to. I can't imagine all of the changes that will occur and what life will be like. I have to have faith that I will be able to evolve with the times." she sighed softly. She truthfully didn't know how to deal with her own situation. She leaned forward slightly, "How can I help you?" she offered.

XXXXX

Kaitlyn came out of the Conference room s few hours later and found Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and Anjay waiting on the benches outside the room.

They stood up and looked at her questionably.

"They are working out the details. They have decided to not interfere with each others' decisions. They will have a Council of Three that meets every quarter to share information with each other." Kaitlyn informed them. She winced when she tried to roll her stiff shoulder.

McCoy moved beside her and pulled out his scanner.

Kaitlyn waved it off, "It's just stiff - that's all." She looked at Kirk and Spock, "They will need some food shortly, they want to continue to work out a plan and finish it tonight."

Kirk nodded, "Anjay will help me get the food they need to keep them going. Go get some rest, Kaitlyn." he directed her.

She smiled, "They insisted the same thing. They want me to look over the details of the plan in the morning."

The doctor nodded to the others, "I'll get her to her quarters." He held onto her right arm gently and started to lead her down the corridor.

She looked curiously as he took her to his quarters.

"I need to get my bag." he said as he rushed in and picked up his small duffle off the couch and came back out, then they walked down to her quarters. "I can't go running around in a towel in the morning - not here." he stated as he had her door open.

Kaitlyn grinned, "I think you'd have a lot of admirers if you walked around without your shirt on." she stated. She poked his chest as he sat his duffle bag on her couch. "I don't think women know just how extremely fit you are underneath that uniform."

Leonard McCoy held her hand against his chest, "I don't want them to know - I don't care about them." He used his other hand to trace the worry lines on her forehead that always became more pronounced when she was tired. "I think a hot shower would help your shoulder." he indicated.

Kaitlyn smiled and wiggled her eyebrow sat him.

He blushed, "I wasn't trying to. . ." He paused when she started chuckling, "I think you like to embarrass me."

She shook her head as she led him to the bathroom, "Not embarrass, just tease."

A few minutes later Leonard tilted her head back under the shower head to get her hair wet. He smiled as she squirted the shampoo in his hands, "You know, I've never washed a woman's hair before."

Kaitlyn watched him carefully, "Just don't get the shampoo in my eyes and you should do fine." She smiled at him as he concentrated on lathering up the shampoo and rubbed her scalp vigorously. It was very soothing, very relaxing. She'd be willing to pay him to wash her hair, this relaxed her more than meditation.

"Don't make some smartass remark." he warned her as she opened her mouth to say something. "I think I'm starting to understand how your mind works - at least around me."

Kaitlyn raised an eyebrow as she squirted the soap in her hands and started to wash his chest slowly. Perhaps he was starting to understand that she liked to tease him and liked that he reacted to her teasing.

Leonard tried to concentrate on spreading the conditioner through her hair, then rinsed it out. He kissed her forehead when he finished, "There - does your hair feel better now?" he smiled.

Kaitlyn nodded as he stepped under the water to rinse off the huge amount of soap lather she'd spread over his chest. She was about to start washing the rest of him when he shook his head.

"Tempting as it may be to play around in the shower - _really, really tempting_ - we didn't get much sleep last night and you need to rest." he pointed out and started to wash the rest of himself off without her help.

She pouted her lips slightly, "Fine." She quickly finished washing up.

Leonard wrapped a towel around her as she stepped out of the shower, then handed another towel to her so she could wrap her hair up. He quickly dried off and went to get his clothes out of his bag. He put on a pair of boxers and a t-shirt and looked around her living room. She had a few framed photos along the shelf. One was of her and Ambassador Spock, another was of her and her old Academy buddies taken at the sending off party, then one of her and Admirals Archer and Kenmore from the party. The last framed photo was much older. The man was taller and balding slightly and he was hugging her proudly. Leonard looked up as she came out of the bathroom, "Your father?" he guessed.

Kaitlyn smiled slightly as she walked over to him, "That's the last picture I have of him. He was killed in the line of duty a week later." She took a deep breath, "I was on my way to my new command at the time and I visited with him for a few days."

Leonard wrapped his arm around her gently as she looked over the photos. "You know what I notice?" She looked at him questionably. "You surround yourself with men."

She nodded, "Yeah, all the psychologists note that too. I just think I get along with men better. They don't often whine or cry - I don't have to coddle them." she shrugged. She didn't want to talk about it right now. She took a deep breath, "Ready to turn in?"

Leonard helped turn the covers down on the bed, turned off the light, then climbed in after she laid down. "You either need to sleep on your back or your right side so you don't injure your shoulder. Are you sure you don't want the sling on?" he questioned.

"No, I don't want the sling on." She never could sleep right if she wore one to bed. She turned on her right side and tried to get comfortable.

Leonard moved behind her and wrapped his arm around her waist. He kissed her shoulder gently and laid his head down.

Kaitlyn held his hand and intertwined her fingers with his.

He opened his eyes when it dawned on him that she wasn't wearing her ring anymore - in fact, he realized it had been absent since she'd slammed her hand into the shower door. He rubbed her ring finger gently and felt the slight indentation where the ring she'd worn had been. He kissed her shoulder once more, then closed his eyes to get to sleep.

XXXXX

2230 - Admiral Archer's apartment

Admiral Jonathon Archer opened the door and nodded to his last guest. "It's good to see you again, Robert." he shook the man's hand. They walked to the living room and he indicated the other guests - Admiral Michael Kenmore, Ambassador Spock, and Admiral Pike were waiting. Jonathon Archer poured the coffee and handed it out, then sat down. "What did you find out, Robert?"

Robert pulled out a PADD from his jacket and handed it to Archer, "The information that Commander Donovan learned from the Kern has started the ball rolling on tracking down some of the technology from Nero's ship. We are still trying to locate Garav, if he's still alive. We also located the three people that transported onto the Enterprise - they were all dead. Conveniently dumped where they would be found."

Ambassador Spock raised an eyebrow, "Three people transported onto the Enterprise - what did they do?" _He had not known about this_.

Robert glanced at the Admirals and waited for one of them to explain to the much older Vulcan.

Archer glanced at Ambassador Spock, "They transported onto the Enterprise and one of them mindmelded with Kaitlyn, they implanted a transponder on her, and injected her with a drug to wipe her memories." he stated. He watched as the older Vulcan closed his eyes and breathed slowly.

Ambassador Spock opened his eyes and looked at Michael Kenmore, whom he'd been working with closely. "Kaitlyn was still recovering from her torture at the hands of the Romulans - why was I not informed?" He realized the answer when everyone else in the room gave each other uncomfortable glances. "Kaitlyn requested that I not be informed? I will discuss it with her the next time she contacts me." he decided.

Admiral Pike looked at Robert, "What about her files? Do we know for sure it was just a computer glitch that opened them?"

Robert shook his head, "The more we dig into the system, the more it looks like a subroutine was written to make it open. We are sure that the information was downloaded from two computers - one in Admiral Vincent's office, and another one in the Security Division - that one we hadn't known about until we found that the subroutine had been uploaded to the system from it."

"Have you informed the Enterprise of your findings?" Pike asked.

"Not yet. I tried to contact Donovan a little while ago and she was working with the Kern representatives - I will speak with her tomorrow morning." Robert stated.

"You should inform Commander Spock - he'll make sure that Security remains tight on her. I'm sure he was unsettled this afternoon when he was left out of the loop about those factions."

Trip looked at Archer, "I wonder if Kaitlyn could get her hands on one of those Nutritional Units, so that we can compare it side by side with the replicator?"

Jonathon nodded, "I'll see if they can purchase one and drop it off at the nearest Starbase, then have it shipped back." He looked at Pike, "Where is the Enterprise heading next when they leave Kern tomorrow?"

"They are rendezvousing with the Petenkin. Admiral Vincent has the Petenkin heading to an anomaly that popped up on long range sensors." Pike said as he rubbed his leg. His legs still decided to cramp up on him every once in a while. His physical therapy was progressing, but he thought he was recovering at a snail's pace.

Archer frowned, "I hadn't heard about an anomaly - when did he issue those orders?" he asked Pike.

"Came across my desk right before I headed over here. I haven't seen the scans - but you know how Vincent guards his intel." Pike looked at Robert, "Have you heard about an anomaly?"

Robert shook his head, "No - and I would have by now, my Science Division Head would be biting at the bit to get out there for himself."

Archer frowned and looked at Pike, "Contact Jacobs on the Petenkin and tell him to be cautious. The last anomaly we incurred turned out to be Nero."

Pike nodded, "I will."

XXXXX

TBC.

Reviews are much appreciated!


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or any of its characters.

Please refer to the Author's notes in Chapter 1.

Thank you to Just a Crazy-Man, Obsessive66, AngelQueen, Ataxia O'Rourke, Kushina98, Emberka-2012, royalpinkdogs, Mike, Ace, Zedoc, and Saissa for the reviews and all of the readers following this story!

The Ripple Effect

Chapter 12

1020 - Kern Grand Council Building

Captain James Kirk and Commander Spock watched as the Council of Three each signed the document they had made and agreed to earlier in the morning on the Enterprise.

The moment was being broadcasted for all of Kern to watch. After the signing, Kirk and Spock went and spoke to them and congratulated them on their ability to compromise with each other.

Commander Donovan and Doctor McCoy were standing farther away from the crowd with Garoth.

"The plan is sound, I think the Federation Council will look favorably at the Kern's submission for membership. I have written my report and Captain Kirk is working on his." she explained quietly to the older man.

Garoth nodded slowly, "I have lived to see the day that my people are putting their differences aside and are working together for the good of the planet." He sighed heavily, "I am tired. Will you walk with me?" he asked Kaitlyn.

"Of course." she smiled. She knew he would not live much longer, and from the look that McCoy gave her, he must expect the same.

As they walked very slowly down the hall to the outside patio, Kaitlyn kept her arm on Garoth to steady him. "It has been a pleasure seeing you and your planet again. I regret that I won't be able to have lunch with you today."

Garoth glanced at her and smiled , "You weren't expecting what you found here." They walked to one of the patio tables in the sun and sat down. "I had hoped to see you again, so that I could thank you for what you did for us." He coughed hard and his body shook violently as the coughing spell racked through his frail body.

Kaitlyn quickly put her hand on his and projected calmness to him. Slowly, the coughing stopped and his breathing became less labored. She poured a glass of water and handed it to him.

Garoth nodded his thanks and took small sips of the water. "Talian told me you felt responsible for our situation." He shook his head, "You should not. Because of you, I have been able to see my granchildrens' children have children of their own. I have been able to impart my knowledge and experiences with them. We have caused the situation we are in, the situation which we have now resolved to compromise on." He looked over her and smiled tiredly. "If it had been anyone other than you that suggested the groups compromise, I don't think they would be speaking with each other. Is it true you will live another six hundred years?"

"More than likely." Kaitlyn said quietly.

"That is a very long time." Garoth closed his eyes and sat back in the chair. He titled his head back to feel the warmth of the sun on his face. He was tired. He had lived a very long time - longer than anyone else on his planet. He had a very good life, one that was filled with family and friends.

Kaitlyn watched as he seemed to relax.

He opened his eyes and leaned forward. Garoth reached for her hand and held it gently, "Know that you are always welcome to come back." he offered.

Kaitlyn smiled warmly, "Thank you, Garoth." She looked around the beautiful courtyard, "Would you like me to do anything for you before we leave orbit?" she inquired.

"No, there is nothing more to be done. You have already given me enough. Once again, you are leaving us with hope." Garoth nodded as he watched her stand.

"Goodbye, Garoth." Kaitlyn said softly. She bowed to him one last time, then turned and left.

The Enterprise crew paid their respects to the Kern Council members, then started walking out the Grand Council building and headed to their shuttle.

Kirk watched as Bones kept glancing at Kaitlyn worriedly. "Commander Spock, was the Nutritional Unit transported to the Enterprise?" he questioned.

Spock nodded as they walked, "Yes, Captain. Four units were transported to the Enterprise an hour ago."

Kirk raised an eyebrow, "Four?"

"Each member of the Council of Three and Minister Garoth each donated one." Spock explained.

Kaitlyn took in the beauty of the planet and its people as they walked back to the shuttle. Maybe she would come back some day. _Maybe_. She looked around once more as the group stopped outside the shuttle before climbing in. She glanced at Kirk.

"Are we ready?" he questioned her.

Kaitlyn nodded curtly, "Of course, Captain." she stepped in the shuttle and sat down.

Leonard sat down beside her, "You okay?" he asked quietly.

"I'll be fine." she tried to reassure him. She glanced out the window as Commander Spock flew the shuttle back to the Enterprise. She sighed as she watched the surface disappear from her view.

XXXXX

Kaitlyn watched as the information scrolled on her computer screen. She was trying to reconstruct more of what Nero had been doing in the twenty-five year period while he waited for Ambassador Spock's arrival. From the information she'd received from Robert earlier, she'd constructed the first two years based on personal accounts from interplanetary traders and smugglers that had known Garav. She frowned. Her shoulders ached and her eyes were strained - she'd been going through data for five hours since she'd finished talking with Robert, Admiral Archer, and Ambassador Spock separately.

Ambassador Spock had not been pleased that she had information withheld from him and she promised him that she wouldn't do it again. He _had_ been pleased that she was able to help the Kern decide to compromise with each other.

The door chimed.

"Come in" she called and the door opened automatically.

Kirk came in and looked puzzled, "You've got the door programmed to unlock and open by voice command?" he questioned.

She smiled and swiveled her chair to see him, "It's not that hard to do." she said with a shrug. "Is the shift over?"

He nodded, "I wondered where you went, but Spock said you came to work here where its quieter. Is something bothering you?" he asked softly as he sat down in the chair beside her work station.

"No, no - I'm fine. I'm just working on classified information and its hard with dozens of people walking by me on the bridge." she pointed out.

Kirk nodded and handed her his PADD with his report for the Federation Council on the Kern. "Will you read this over and make sure it sounds okay?" he asked.

She nodded and accepted the PADD. Kaitlyn sat forward as she read Kirk's report of the Kern situation.

"What do you think?" he asked when she finished reading.

"Very good. You did an excellent job at laying the problem out, explaining what we we've learned so far, and detailing how the three groups came together to compromise." she nodded as she handed his PADD back to him, then sat back in her chair.

"I wish we could've stayed there longer." Kirk sighed.

"They will be fine and we need to rendezvous with the U.S.S. Petenkin." she pointed out.

He nodded, "How is your research going?" he asked.

"Slowly." she admitted.

He watched as she rolled her shoulders to relieve their stiffness. "Anything that you can discuss with me?" he asked casually.

Kaitlyn turned the screen so that he could see.

"I thought Starfleet Intelligence had people looking into all of this already?"

She nodded, "Yes, I am helping them." she leaned forward. "Aren't you curious as to what he was up to for 25 years?"

"Yes, I'm curious. I just didn't know they had you doing all of this for them."

"I guess Admiral Vincent thinks I can extrapolate Nero's dealings faster, since I know some of the other history." she saved her information and shut down the computer.

He wondered how he should broach the subject he needed to discuss with her.

She saw the look on his face, "What's the problem?" she asked him. "I would much rather people just come out and say what needs to be taken care of, than beat around the bush." she stated.

He nodded at her candor. "Spock investigated what happened to your formal complaints against Admiral Vincent." he frowned. "He found out that all complaints about anyone in SI go directly to the Admiral. Whether he ignored your complaints, or had them pushed aside, we don't know yet." he explained.

Kaitlyn nodded, "I figured as much." she stated quietly.

Kirk leaned forward. "I've seen you fight, I've fought you - I know you would get reprimanded, but why haven't you kicked his butt?" he questioned.

She crossed her arms, "I have my reasons, though I did call him out after an assignment once."

"And?" he prodded.

"And he choked me." she stated.

"What do you mean?" he stood up.

"He choked me and I passed out. He implied to the Judge Advocate that I got the marks around my throat on my latest assignment and that I was upset with him because I didn't get a promotion and he did." she shrugged.

Kirk was furious, "I can't believe this has gone on for this long. Are you the only one he's treated this way?"

"I don't know, a lot of people don't file a formal complaint against a superior." she pointed out.

He nodded slowly, "Well, Spock is going to get to the bottom of this. He has a very strong sense of right and wrong, he will not let this get pushed under a rug." he promised her.

"He is a good officer to have in your corner." she agreed.

Jim patted her arm, "How about I walk you to dinner?" he suggested.

She locked the door with a security code after they exited the lab.

They walked down the corridor quietly and rode the lift to the Dining Hall.

Donovan picked up a tray and silverware and nodded as Cookie came over to the serving line.

The jolly man smiled brightly at her, "I've got your favorite pie tonight - chocolate cream!" he announced.

"How in the world did you know that I needed a chocolate fix today?" she asked.

He shrugged, "I never reveal my sources." he proclaimed happily, then went back to the kitchen.

She made her selections and headed to the Senior Officers' table and sat down next to McCoy.

He sat his drink down, "I haven't seen you this afternoon - are you doing okay?" he questioned her.

Kaitlyn nodded, "I've just been working straight through this afternoon and I forgot to come by. I should have called you and told you I was delayed, I'm sorry Bones." she apologized.

Leonard looked over her face quickly, "You're lucky you don't have a full blown migraine by now." he noted the pinched lines at her forehead and frowned. He stood up and went back in the line.

Kirk leaned forward, "Another thing, Commander Benson wanted to know if you could help train the security officers next week on some combat moves."

Kaitlyn was surprised, "How did he find out about that?" she asked.

Kirk smiled, "Cookie talks. Then Benson talked to me and I told him that you were the best person I knew to train people." he shrugged.

"I'll train them, if you'll help me get ready this week. I haven't had any practice in combat moves for over two months." she pointed out.

He nodded, "Great - I know he'll be pleased. I work out in the gym at 0600 - are you game?" he asked.

"Fine." she nodded.

McCoy came back to the table and looked between them, "What trouble are you two cooking up?" he asked when he saw the look they were giving each other. He had figured out in class that when they had that look, they were scheming.

Kaitlyn smiled as Leonard set a slice of pie in front of her. "Thank you." She had to admit that Cookie always did a great job with the chocolate pie. She turned her attention back to her dinner.

Kirk smiled at his senior officers. He felt very privileged to be working with them. Before he'd gone to see Donovan, Scotty had given him a tour and update on the upgrades the engineering team had been making to the Enterprise. They were now officially the fastest ship in Starfleet. He was pleased with all of the advances taking place on the ship. _Only his First Officer and First Contact Officer had reservations_. They had not yet expressed their apprehension to him, but he was sure the time was coming soon. He turned his attention back to the bantering of the officers seated around him.

"How can you be so callous?" Scotty asked of Spock.

Spock tilted his head slightly, "I am not being callous, I am merely pointing out the fact that if the Lieutenant had not been fencing with a real sword, he would not have been injured." he stated.

Scotty scoffed, "So, he should practice with a rubber sword?" he asked the Vulcan.

"I will not be pulled into an irrational debate with you." Spock stated and ended his part in the conversation and went back to eating his dinner.

Donovan glanced at Scotty, "He should have had the safety tip on. He could actually be written up for reckless endangerment." she pointed out.

McCoy nodded, "I've seen an increase in injuries due to reckless behavior." he admitted.

Kirk frowned, then looked at Spock, "After dinner, send out a warning to all crew that injuries caused by reckless behavior will not be tolerated." he directed.

Spock nodded, "Yes, Captain." He replied calmly, but he was thinking something entirely different. _Logic would dictate that all reckless behavior would be halted._

The group had already changed the topic of discussion.

"Big Band is much better than that techo rock crap you listen to." McCoy threw out to Kirk.

Kirk laughed softly, "Whatever."

McCoy leaned forward, "You come over tonight - I've got actual vinyl records of the great bands. You come listen. You'll change your mind." he stated.

"Okay, I'll come by and listen." Kirk relinquished.

McCoy looked at Kaitlyn, "You'll come too?" he asked her.

She smiled softly, "I'll come by." she agreed.

Both men smiled.

XXXXX

Donovan sat down on the couch as McCoy got out his vinyl records of Big Band music and put one of them on. She smiled as he started to move to the music.

The door buzzed.

"Come in." he called.

Kirk grinned as he walked in. "Bones, I haven't seen you dance since the Sadie Hawkins our first year at the Academy." he admitted.

McCoy shrugged, "That was the only time they played this music." McCoy went and poured each of them a glass of water and handed one to her. "I got the cards out tonight - we can play poker. Scotty is coming over in a few minutes." he explained to Kirk and indicated the table set up for the game.

Kirk leaned closer to Kaitlyn, "How good a player are you?" he asked, wondering if she had suggested the game to McCoy.

She shrugged, "I guess you'll just have to find out." a small smile played at her lips.

XXXXX

0610 - Enterprise Training Gym

Kirk picked himself off the mat and shook his head. "Could you at least let me have a little dignity on my ship?" he asked.

Kaitlyn stood with her hands on her hips, "You told me you would help me practice."

Jim Kirk rolled his eyes, "But that means we work together, not that you just keep taking me down."

She took a deep breath. "Okay. How do you want to do this?" she asked.

"I want you to take me through the moves, just like you did when we trained at the Academy." he said.

"Chorography, got it." she stepped forward. "Punch, block. Sweep, stomp." she said to remind him of the move.

He nodded and got ready for her.

She took a punch at him with her right arm.

He blocked with his left arm and punched her right arm, blocked her left hook, then swept her feet out from under her.

She quickly rolled as he stomped where she had been a moment ago. She stood up and smiled. "You're getting faster." she nodded in approval.

He grinned, "I've been practicing." he admitted.

"You two are very skilled." Commander Benson said as he approached them.

Kirk smiled, "Good morning. This is Commander Donovan. Commander Donovan, this is our Security Chief, Commander Benson." he introduced them.

She shook Benson's hand.

Kirk pointed at Donovan, "I was not as focused in how I fought, until Donovan coached me." he admitted.

"I hope that I'm not imposing when I asked you to help us train, Commander." Benson said.

"If we train early in the morning, it won't affect my duty schedule. May I ask who will be my training partner when I demonstrate the moves?" she asked Benson.

He looked at the Captain.

Kirk grinned, "I volunteered. I wouldn't wish anyone else to be your rag doll. Besides, at least I know the moves and I know when to roll." he stated.

She nodded to him, "Thank you, Captain."

XXXXX

0947 - Enterprise Bridge

Commander Donovan was intently reading the latest reports from the Petenkin when she noticed the undercurrent of the room change quickly. She glanced out the view screen and raised an eyebrow as an old ship came into view. She quickly saved all information she'd been viewing and listened as Chekov reported.

"Kaptin, the ship seems to be adrift." the young Ensign stated from his station.

Jim Kirk perked up in his command chair and glanced back at Spock, "Readings?" he questioned.

Commander Spock quickly analyzed the readings on his screen, "It is an older Earth Cargo vessel. Life support is minimal." he relayed the information.

Kaitlyn turned her chair slightly as Commander Spock was explaining his findings. She was starting to get a very uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Ensign Chekov had the viewscreen zoom in on the ship's hull, "Hull readings indicate it is the Botany Bay." he stated.

Commander Kaitlyn Donovan stood up from her station and held on to the back of her chair. _It was too soon - too soon for them to come across this ship. _

XXXXX

TBC.

Reviews are much appreciated!


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or any of its characters.

Please refer to the Author's notes in Chapter 1.

Thank you to Just a Crazy-Man, Obsessive66, AngelQueen, Ataxia O'Rourke, Kushina98, Emberka-2012, royalpinkdogs, Mike, Ace, Zedoc, and Saissa for the reviews and all of the readers following this story!

The Ripple Effect

Chapter 13

Commander Kaitlyn Donovan walked over to Kirk's Command chair, "Captain, I suggest that Commander Spock and I beam over and investigate the ship in environmental suits." she suggested. She tried to keep her voice even. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she was having a difficult time keeping her breathing regulated.

Jim Kirk stood up and looked at her curiously, he noted how stiffly she was holding herself.

Commander Spock came over to them and clasped his hands behind his back. He, too, had noted that Donovan was unsettled by the appearance of this ship. He raised an eyebrow when the Captain looked at him questionably.

"Reasoning?" Kirk inquired as he looked back at her.

Donovan lifted her chin slightly, "This ship was stolen almost three hundred years ago by a renegade. It would be wise to prepare for biological contaminations in the ship's air that we are not immune to." she explained.

Kirk nodded, "Bones can go with you."

"I would advise against that for now. We could have Doctor McCoy standing by, in case he is needed." she said softly, so only the two of them could hear her.

"Sulu, you have the Bridge." Kirk directed as he indicated for them to get in the lift. He looked at her closely as the doors closed behind them and took them to the Transporter Room. "Do you know something we don't?" he questioned.

"What I know is that we should take precautions when dealing with this ship." she told the two of them carefully. She left it at that. _Who knows what they'd find on the ship_, but she wanted the least amount of contact with it and this crew.

Commander Spock found her reply vague, at best. "I agree with your suggestion for the environmental suits."

They stopped in the corridor at the room that contained the many variations of environmental suits. "Get suited up. I'll go talk to Bones. Don't transport over until I get back and give you the okay." Kirk ordered firmly.

Both Commanders nodded, then quickly went in to change.

XXXXX

"I'm telling you Bones, she knows something about that ship. Why would she insist on the environmental suits? It's not standard procedure." he pointed out as he and the doctor were heading to the Transporter Room.

"It's a wise precaution if the ship is that old." Leonard frowned, "Why do you think she knows something?"

"Because she's trying so hard to remain calm." Kirk hissed as they walked down the corridor.

XXXXX

Kaitlyn came out of one of the changing rooms and carried her helmet. She went to the cabinet and pulled out a phase pistol and clipped it on her hip holster. She looked up as Commander Spock got a pistol and also a tricorder.

"You seem unsettled, Commander. It is making the Captain nervous." he said to her as she strapped a knife holster around her thigh.

"I do not mean to appear unsettled." she said softly as she quickly typed a message into her First Contact Officer PADD and then locked it with her security code. It would unlock for Captain Kirk, should something happen to her, and it would give him all of the needed information on the Botany Bay. She walked over to the door and waited for Spock.

They walked across the hall to the Transporter Room where Scotty was already waiting for them.

She turned and looked at Commander Spock carefully. _How she wanted to tell him to just stay here and let her go over there on her own._ Kaitlyn closed her eyes as she remembered the advice of Ambassador Spock. _"You must allow certain events to take place, Kaitlyn. They happened for a reason - they made us who we became." _She opened her eyes and found Commander Spock watching her curiously. "We must be cautious, Commander. I'd appreciate it if you would just take readings and not touch anything until I've analyzed the situation." she requested.

"Very well." he nodded.

Kirk and Bones came in quickly.

Kirk looked them over, "Keep an open comm link. Give us a play by play at what's going on as soon as you get over there." he directed.

They nodded.

Leonard touched Kaitlyn's arm as Jim and Spock went over and spoke to Scotty about the beam in site. "Kaitlyn, are you okay?" He could tell visually that her heart rate and her blood pressure were up.

She nodded slightly and squeezed his hand gently, "We'll be fine." She walked over to Jim and handed him the PADD.

Jim Kirk raised his eyebrow, "Don't you need this?"

Kaitlyn smiled as she got on the Transporter Pad, "I know it back and forth." She put her helmet on and checked the pressurization as the oxygen flowed through the suit. She glanced at Commander Spock. He nodded to her, then they both gave Scotty the thumbs up for transport.

XXXXX

Commander Spock quickly started taking reading of the ship as soon as they re-materalized. "Captain, we are aboard the ship. Interesting. . ." he stopped as he indicated the read out on his screen to Donovan.

"What is it, Spock?" Kirk questioned over the comm link.

Kaitlyn frowned at the readings, then headed for the next room.

"Indications are that the air in the ship has been re-circulated, though I do not know how long ago." Spock said as he followed Donovan into the next room. _She seemed to know where she was going. _

She hesitantly stepped into the room that held the stasis chambers. She hoped that all of the occupants were still in stasis and would stay that way, then they could just send for another ship and Starfleet Command could decide what to do with Khan and his people. She walked over to one of the chambers and frowned when she noted that it was empty.

"Captain," Spock reported as he walked into the room, "we are now entering a room filled with stasis chambers. This is evidently a sleeper ship, used many years ago to keep its occupants asleep until they arrived at their destination." he explained.

Kaitlyn quickly walked to the next chamber and found it empty, and the next one, and the next one.

"Are you looking for someone in particular?" Commander Spock questioned Donovan.

She nodded as she walked over to him quickly, "Yes, and they're not here." She went over to one of the computer stations and activated it, hoping to find out what had happened.

Spock's eyebrows rose as a very imposing man's image appeared on the screen. The man's jet black hair was tied back and his clothing was more for a desert climate, and not for space travel.

"Good day to you." the man spoke clearly, then nodded. "I'm hoping the ship that you are from is the Enterprise and that you are Captain James T. Kirk. If so, this is truly destined. I learned of what you did to me and my people, Kirk. I will not allow it to happen again. This gift, is for you - Kirk." the man's image vanished and a number appeared on the screen and began counting down quickly.

Kaitlyn grabbed Spock and started propelling him out of the room.

"Spock to Enterprise - emergency beam out requested. A bomb is about to explode on the ship." he stated calmly as they raced down the corridor to get as far away from the bomb as possible.

The explosion rocked the ship and threw both of them against the bulkhead.

XXXXX

Kaitlyn flinched as she felt heat surrounding her. She sat up quickly as she realized that flames were about to reach them. She pulled herself out from the rubble she was under. She nudged Spock, but he was unconscious. "Donovan to Enterprise."

_Silence._

She pushed the debris off Spock, then dragged him down the corridor to the airlock as she started to sweat because the internal cooling system of the suit was having a hard time regulating the temperature. She stood Spock up and leaned him against the bulkhead. Kaitlyn quickly unfastened her belt and hooked it around his. She broke the emergency locator beacons on the shoulders of their suits. Hopefully, Enterprise would be able to located them once they got off the ship. She glanced back as the flames and smoke filled the corridor just behind them. _No time to do a check of the suits_. She punched the door for the airlock to open and they were swept out into space.

Kaitlyn opened her eyes slowly as she felt their momentum slow down. She spotted the Enterprise and the Botany Bay and kept her focus on them, and not the stars. The last thing she needed was to get sick in the suit. She tried to kept her breathing even as she started to feel a searing pain in her back. It seemed like a long time, but it was probably only a few minutes before she felt the familiar tug of the transporter. Her legs buckled under the weight of trying to hold Spock up once they re-materalized on the Enterprise and they both fell into a heap.

Kirk quickly undid the belt that held her and Spock together and gently moved Spock off of her.

Her helmet was quickly taken off and she tried to smile as Leonard tossed it as he ran the scanner over her.

"He's unconscious." Jim told Bones as he tried to wake Spock up.

Kaitlyn winced as she was lifted onto a gurney by two medics, "He might have put himself in a healing trance." she told Leonard as he barked for the medics to hurry up and get the patients to Medical.

Kirk walked alongside her gurney as they raced to Medical. "Who the hell was that speaking on the computer monitor - and what did I do to him and his crew?" he demanded to know.

Kaitlyn closed her eyes tightly as the pain flared again as the medics transferred her to the biobed. "Khan Noonien Singh. He was one of the leaders in the Eugenics War. He, and a group of his followers stole the Botany Bay and escaped from Earth before they could be captured." Her eyes started to water as Nurse Chapel turned her over onto her stomach.

"Doctor, we'll have to cut the suit off." Chapel indicated the areas of the suit that had started to mold to Kaitlyn's body. Luckily, the suit hadn't started to melt to her skin.

Leonard nodded as he quickly administered the hypo of pain reliever into her bloodstream. "You start on that, while I check on Spock." He didn't want to leave her, but at least she was conscious.

Christine Chapel got out the scissors and started to cut the suit so she could splay it open and off of Kaitlyn. She looked up at the Captain - he gave no indication that he was going to leave. "Could you get a sheet out of the drawer for me and put it over her?" she requested.

Jim Kirk nodded and did as directed. He sat down on the stool and moved it so he was by her head. "What did I do to him?" he questioned softly.

Kaitlyn found herself grateful for the Captain's questioning as the pain intensified as Chapel kept cutting the suit. "In the other universe, the Enterprise found the Botany Bay. When one of the stasis units started to fail, you revived him and saved him. Khan manipulated you and managed to take over the ship."

Jim frowned, "We took the ship back?" he asked for reassurance.

She nodded, "Yes."

"What else?" he watched as she looked away from him. "Kaitlyn, what else?" he demanded to know.

"That's all I can tell you right now." she finally stated.

Kirk sat back. _Why wouldn't she tell him anything else - unless other events could still happen. _He looked at her, puzzled. "How would Khan know of what happened in the other universe?"

Kaitlyn sighed, "Nero must have found them, woken them up and told him." She was starting to get a huge headache. _So, Nero not only sold off advanced technology while he was waiting for Ambassador Spock - but he was also purposefully wreaking havoc with this time line._ "I need to make some communiqués." she told Kirk.

McCoy came in and shook his head, "You are in no condition to be making communiqués." he pronounced as he ran the scanner over her again. "You've got deep bruising from being thrown by that explosion."

Jim looked at his best friend, "I have to agree with Kaitlyn. Starfleet Command has to know that we could have another renegade running around."

Leonard frowned, but nodded slowly. "Let me work on her for thirty minutes."

Jim nodded and stood up, "I'll contact Starfleet Command and tell Admiral Archer to be ready for your call in thirty minutes. I'll be here with you." he touched her shoulder gently.

Kaitlyn nodded, "Thank you. If you could make sure the video feeds and the readings are encrypted and ready for me to send to them, I'd appreciate it."

As the Captain left, Nurse Chapel moved the sheet on her back all the way down to her hips, then put warm, folded blankets at both of her sides so she wouldn't feel as exposed. "You're lucky that your injuries aren't more spread out." she smiled softly.

"We're lucky that we didn't burn up on that damn ship." Kaitlyn tried to make light of the situation as Leonard began running the dermal regenerator over her back to heal the deep bruising. She glanced over her shoulder at Leonard, "Is Commander Spock in a healing trance?" she asked.

"Yes, I confirmed the readings with the Vulcan database." he nodded and continued to work. After another fifteen minutes, he finished and pulled the sheet back over her. He came over and sat on the stool that Kirk had occupied earlier as Nurse Chapel went to check on Spock. Leonard watched as she turned her head to look at him.

"Does Commander Spock have a significant other on board the ship?" she questioned quietly.

"I think so." Leonard nodded. Though neither of them had said anything to him, he was pretty sure that Spock and Uhura were in a relationship. "The Vulcan database mentioned something about skin to skin contact - are they serious?"

Kaitlyn smiled, "Yes, but just holding his hand will bring Commander Spock the control he needs to heal." She couldn't see Leonard authorizing full skin to skin contact between two people in his ward.

Leonard watched her carefully, "Would it help him heal faster?" he questioned.

"Undoubtedly."

Leonard McCoy contemplated the situation. "What would be the difference in healing time?"

"That variable depends on whether they are a bonded couple." Kaitlyn took a deep breath and moved her arms to prop herself up slightly. "Vulcans are very private about their relationships, I think it would be an invasion of privacy to assume anything. Try the hand holding first - you will see results almost immediately if they are in a close relationship." she explained.

Leonard nodded and brushed a few stray hairs behind her ear, then touched her cheek gently. "So, this is one of the encounters from the other universe you know about."

"Knew about. Nero has completely changed the circumstances - who knows what will happen now." she shrugged slightly.

"This Khan fellow is a really bad guy?" he questioned.

"An intellectual genius from a bygone era that is use to the allegiance of his people. Loyalty rewarded, betrayal punished severely. Obsessive for domination, fanatic to the point of self-sacrifice to get his revenge." Kaitlyn took a deep breath. "I really need some clothes on before I make that communiqué." she indicated the thin sheet covering her backside.

Leonard smiled, "You look just fine to me."

"Thank you for the compliment, but I don't think the Admirals and Ambassador Spock would appreciate my lack of attire." she pointed out.

He stood up and kissed her forehead, "I'll get some scrubs and have Chapel help you. I'll even find you a robe." He watched as she winced again as she turned onto her side. "Need another pain killer?"

"I would appreciate it." she nodded as she pulled the sheet closer to her body.

XXXXX

Jim Kirk sat back and listened as the Admirals hurled questions at Kaitlyn. She told them just enough to give them the facts of what happened, but she didn't reveal any further information about the incident in the other universe.

"Commander Donovan, what do you think Khan will do now?" Admiral Vincent asked.

Kaitlyn shrugged from her biobed, "I would only be speculating. I suggest that I speak with Ambassador Spock and go over some details with him. Perhaps we can figure out where to start. I trust that you have gone over the information we sent from the Botany Bay and you've read your history on Khan?" she questioned them.

Admiral Archer nodded, "We did. Captain Kirk, we need you to find out where Khan is and what he's been up to since he was awakened. Donovan, we need you to continue to research what Nero did - waking Khan might not be the only trouble he stirred up."

Admiral Vincent banged his fist on the table, "The Enterprise needs to rendezvous with the Petenkin." he demanded.

Archer raised an eyebrow at Vincent's outburst, "While the Enterprise is on the way to rendezvous with the Petenkin, they will also search for Khan and what Nero had been doing." He put an end to the discussion on the Enterprise's mission. He looked back at Kirk and Donovan, "Donovan, you know how strong and devious the Augments were that my Enterprise encountered - make sure this Enterprise is prepared." he directed.

"Yes, Admiral." Kaitlyn nodded.

XXXXX

Leonard McCoy frowned as he overheard the conversation from the next biobed. He remembered his study of the Augments from the Eugenics War. They were exceedingly strong and resilient. He would have to brush up on the specifics. He analyzed the biobed readings as he checked on Spock's condition. He looked up and smiled softly as Lieutenant Uhura stepped into the curtained area.

Nyota Uhura kept her focus on Spock as she walked closer to the bed. She had heard Spock's call for an emergency beam out and watched the explosion on the Botany Bay from the Bridge and her heart had skipped a beat. She'd tried repeatedly to hail Spock or Donovan to no avail. When she located their emergency beacons she'd been elated, only to find out minutes later that Spock was in a coma. It had taken all the strength she had to remain at her post and not run to Medical. "How is he doing, Doctor?" she asked softly.

"His condition remains unchanged at the moment. He's put himself in a Vulcan healing trance." Leonard took a deep breath, _how was he supposed to broach the subject_? Maybe he didn't have to. "I need to go and get some dinner and I sent Nurse Chapel to get some sleep. Jim is busy with the Admirals. Could you sit here with Commander Spock for a little while?" he asked.

Uhura nodded quickly, "I'll stay with him. I'll call you if he wakes up." she promised.

McCoy smiled, "Thanks, Lieutenant." He left the curtained area around Spock's bed and headed to his office. He pulled up the monitor and smiled softly as he noted Spock's readings improving already.

A few minutes later Jim came in and sat down on the couch in the small office. He ran his hands over his face tiredly.

"The Admirals finished?" Leonard asked his friend. He picked up his medical scanner and surreptitiously pointed it at his friend and scanned him. Jim needed food and sleep.

Jim nodded, then looked up at Bones and shook his head when he heard the familiar beep of the scanner. He knew his friend was just looking out for him. "You could have just asked." he pointed out.

Bones nodded, "But you would have protested and I'm too tired to deal with you pitching a fit right now." He set the scanner down on his desk, "So, what's happening right now?"

"Ambassador Spock and Kaitlyn are discussing the situation - she threw me out." Jim shrugged.

"Well, why don't we both go grab something to eat while they're both occupied?" Bones suggested.

"Who's with Spock?" Jim questioned as they stood up.

"Lieutenant Uhura is sitting with him for now." Leonard grabbed his PADD and synched up the two biobed readings so he could still keep an eye on their conditions.

Jim grinned, "I didn't think you knew about them." They walked out of Medical and headed for the Dining Hall.

"I had my suspicions."

XXXXX

Kaitlyn sighed softly, then looked back at Ambassador Spock's image on the screen. They had already discussed some possible things Khan could be up to. "I'm not sure if I was the right person to be your Debriefing Officer - I had a very hard time controlling my reactions when we encountered the Botany Bay." She shook her head, "They all knew something was wrong because of how I reacted."

"And yet, you went over there anyway. I must say the environmental suits never occurred to me. What made you suggest them?" he questioned.

"I don't know - I just had a feeling we'd need them." She closed her eyes. In reality, she'd had a flash of mist surrounding them when they were on the ship. In hindsight, she realized it was smoke, not mist. When she was younger, she would get flashes - just glimpses of things that would happen. Sometimes she could stop things from happening, but most of the time she would just be prepared, other times there was absolutely nothing she could do about it. She realized that someone other than Commander Spock was in the next bay with him. She opened her eyes and glanced at the curtain. She quickly went over in her mind the conversation she'd just had with Ambassador Spock to make sure they hadn't revealed too much.

"Are you okay, Kaitlyn?" Ambassador Spock asked. He grew concerned when she took a few moments to answer.

"I'll be okay. My injuries are almost completely healed, I'm just a bit sore." Kaitlyn stated quickly and tried to reassure the older Vulcan. "I think I know why Nero woke Khan up."

Ambassador Spock nodded, "To get Khan to seek revenge on Kirk." He'd realized Nero's reasoning as soon as he'd seen the transmission Khan had left on the Botany Bay. "If Khan kills Jim Kirk, it will impact events greatly." He steepled his fingers and thought carefully. He did not want to burden her with more responsibility.

Kaitlyn smiled softly, "I know what I need to do - don't worry."

Ambassador Spock raised an eyebrow, "Worry is an emotion."

"You and I both know you worry - you just don't like to admit it. I will contact you as we learn more information." she promised. She held up her hand, "Live long, and prosper Ambassador Spock."

He held his hand up, "Peace, and long life, Kaitlyn." The transmission ended.

Kaitlyn set the PADD down and thought for a few moments. "Could you come here, please." she requested of the person on the other side of the curtain. She heard the stool move slightly, then the curtain parted and Lieutenant Uhura came in hesitantly.

"Commander, I'm sorry - I should have made my presence known." Uhura quickly apologized.

Kaitlyn indicated for her to sit down and watched the young woman carefully. "How is Commander Spock doing?"

Uhura blinked rapidly, she thought she was going to be reprimanded. "He seems to be improving."

"Good. Doctor McCoy will be pleased." Kaitlyn was surprised that Lieutenant Uhura was Commander Spock's significant other. She knew that in the other universe that relationship had not existed. She wondered if Savak had gotten off Vulcan - if not, this universe was definitely working in mysterious ways.

"I didn't realize you were Ambassador Spock's Debriefing Officer." Uhura admitted.

Kaitlyn nodded, "He's a very honorable man and he's had a very interesting life."

"It seems like you two know each other very well - he calls you by your first name. That's not something Vulcans do often." Uhura indicated.

"I consider him a very close friend." She smiled softly as she thought back, "Actually, I've had a few Vulcan friends - they start calling you by your first name after a decade or so, after they start warming up to you."

Uhura laughed quietly, "They do take a while to warm up to people." she agreed.

Kaitlyn indicated Spock on the other side of the curtain, "It's good of you to stay with him. It will help his recovery." She noted that the woman looked uncomfortable. "Vulcans are very selective on their friendship and who they trust."

Uhura glanced at the curtain and nodded. She looked back at Commander Donovan. She hadn't spoken to her since she'd arrived on the Enterprise. They'd even been in the same Advanced Ground Warfare class, but they hadn't been on the same team. She knew that Donovan was very respected and was very skilled, but there were a lot of things she didn't know about her. She knew that Donovan's husband had died quite a few years ago, but the woman didn't look that old.

Kaitlyn yawned, then rubbed her eyes tiredly, "I guess I've had a bit too much excitement for one day. Could you dim the lights for me?"

Uhura nodded, "Of course, Commander. Good night." She dimmed the lights at the switch and went back to the other side of the curtain.

XXXXX

Leonard McCoy walked quietly into Medical and headed over to his patients' beds. He smiled when he moved the curtain slightly to check on Spock and found Uhura asleep on the stool, with her head laying on Spock's arm and her hand holding his. He turned and moved Kaitlyn's curtain and frowned. Her bed was empty. _Where did she go?_ He quickly went to check the restroom and found it empty. He headed for his office to call the Bridge to do a sweep of the ship to find her. He sighed in relief when he found her wrapped up in a blanket, asleep on the couch in his office. He went over and sat down beside her and kissed her forehead. Kaitlyn's eyes fluttered open and she smiled. "What are you doing in here?" he questioned.

"I couldn't sleep." she said tiredly. She realized he was waiting for an explanation. "Their synchronized breathing was about to do me in."

"Their breathing?" Leonard shook his head in disbelief.

"I'm not joking. Besides, I missed you." she added and ran her hand over his arm. She moved and made room for him on the couch, "Why don't you sleep here with me?" she suggested.

Leonard laid down beside her and pulled her closer, "For a few minutes, then I've got some more reading to do." He sighed tiredly and closed his eyes.

"What do you need to read about this late at night?" she questioned him.

"I need to do some more research on the Augments and the Eugenics Wars." he said quietly as he rubbed her back gently.

Kaitlyn leaned her head against his chest, "I'll help you with your research tomorrow - you really need your sleep." she pointed out. She could feel his exhaustion, he was running on fumes.

Leonard chuckled softly, "Okay, okay. I'm too tired to argue." He quickly fell asleep within a few minutes.

XXXXX

Spock started to regain consciousness. He realized her was in Medical, based on the familiar hum and beeping of machines. Next, he could feel something on his arm. Then, he realized someone was holding his hand. He took a deep breath and recognized the familiar scent of Nyota's shampoo. He opened his eyes slowly and mentally took note of any injuries he had. He could feel soreness in his back, but it had evidently been treated already.

"You're awake." Nyota smiled softly and squeezed his hand gently as she sat up.

Spock wondered who had suggested that Nyota stay with him. He realized that he had probably healed faster because she had been here with him. "Thank you for staying with me."

She touched his cheek gently, "I was worried." she admitted. "Doctor McCoy asked me to stay with you."

Spock nodded slowly, "I will have to thank him." He wondered if McCoy knew about their relationship, he presumed so - why else would he suggest for her to stay with him?

Nyota stood up, then kissed Spock's lips softly. She pulled back and smiled, "I promised I'd call him as soon as you woke up." she explained.

Spock reached for her hand and held it, "Thank you."

She nodded and pressed the comm button on the wall. "Lieutenant Uhura to Doctor McCoy."

"McCoy here." came the doctor's clipped reply.

"Commander Spock is awake, Doctor." she informed him.

"I'll be right there." he said quickly and clicked off.

She could hear the doctor quickly approaching them, so she stepped back to give them room.

"Well, Commander - it's good of you to wake up." McCoy stated crabbily as he ran the scanner over the Vulcan.

"I did not mean to cause you undue stress, Doctor." Spock said in his usual calm voice.

McCoy grunted, "I knew you were in a healing trance, you didn't have me worried one bit." He tried to sound unaffected. It was unspoken rule between them that they always acted indifferent to each other.

Uhura was rather taken aback at the doctor's bedside manner. She quietly slipped out and headed to her quarters to get some sleep. She wasn't like the doctor - she had been worried about Spock's condition. She was exhausted. She hadn't realized just how exhausted she was until she collapsed onto her bed and fell asleep without changing out of her uniform.

XXXXX

Spock watched as McCoy puttered around and had him turn over so he could check the injuries on his back. "Were we beamed off the ship after the explosion?" he inquired.

McCoy shook his head as he raised the head of the bed and indicated for Spock to lean back, "No. Donovan got ya'll to the airlock and Scotty beamed you back when we located your emergency beacons."

"What is Commander Donovan's condition?" Spock asked.

"Her bruising is healing as fast as yours - you should both be released after breakfast." McCoy explained.

"Where is she? I must express my gratitude to her." Spock sat up.

"She is asleep on the couch in my office - she said your breathing was keeping her awake." McCoy smiled cockily as he crossed his arms.

Spock looked at the doctor, then sighed. "Deep breathing does occur during a healing trance." He was uncomfortable broaching the subject, but he had to know what the doctor knew. "Why did you suggest the Lieutenant Uhura sit with me?"

McCoy raised an eyebrow, then sat down on the stool. "Kaitlyn suggested you were in a healing trance - which I confirmed with the Vulcan database. It had mentioned something about skin to skin contact to heal faster." He tried to hide his smile as the Vulcan's face and ears actually turned a deep shade of green. "Look, I know you are a very private person. I suspected that Lieutenant Uhura was close to you and I asked her to come sit with you." he shrugged.

"I appreciate your discretion, Doctor." Spock stated as his color returned to normal.

McCoy smiled again, "I wouldn't embarrass you about this - other things, maybe - but not this." he promised.

Spock nodded and wondered if the doctor's discretion was because the man was in a relationship with Commander Donovan. He had started to suspect something a few days ago. "I take it that Starfleet Command has already been notified about the situation?"

McCoy nodded as he stood up. He picked up a PADD from the ledge behind the bed and handed it to Spock. "They recorded the discussion for you."

Spock accepted the PADD and turned it on. "Thank you, Doctor."

"I'll be back in a few hours when Cookie send up breakfast. If you need me, I'll be in my office researching these Augments." he stated, then left the Vulcan alone.

Spock sat back against the raised mattress and pushed the play button on the screen. He listened carefully to the discussion between the Captain, Donovan, and the Admirals. He grew concerned as Archer emphasized the Enterprise's priorities. A single priority during a mission could be accomplished with teamwork. But, having their focus spread out on finding Khan, tracking Nero's wanderings, and getting to the Petenkin was going to put a serious drain on personnel and resources. Spock decided to learn as much as he could about the Augments and the Eugenics Wars, then he would start assigning departments and crew to help with each priority Starfleet Command had given them.

XXXXX

TBC. Reviews are greatly appreciated!


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or any of its characters.

Please refer to the Author's notes in Chapter 1.

Thank you to Just a Crazy-Man, Obsessive66, AngelQueen, Ataxia O'Rourke, Kushina98, Emberka-2012, royalpinkdogs, Mike, Ace, Zedoc, Saissa, and bonesfan4ever for the reviews and all of the readers following this story!

The Ripple Effect

Chapter 14

Jim Kirk came in quickly to Medical. He was going to have to scold Bones later for not getting him up as soon as Spock woke up, but that would have to wait. Right now, he needed to see for himself that Spock was okay. He found the Vulcan sitting up in the bed surrounded by PADDs, each displaying different information on their screens. "I take it you're feeling better, Mr. Spock?"

The Vulcan looked up, "Yes, Captain."

Jim nodded and sat down on the stool by the bed, "You watched the discussion with the Admirals?"

"I did. I have been working on scheduling resources and personnel for each task that we have been given. How long until we reach the Petenkin?" Spock inquired.

"We will meet up with them at 1000 tomorrow morning." Jim looked up as Kaitlyn came over to them wrapped up in a blanket. "Good morning." he smiled.

She nodded to the both of them, "Good morning, gentlemen." She looked around Medical curiously, then back to Spock. "Where's Lieutenant Uhura?"

Spock raised an eyebrow, "I assume she went to her quarters."

She looked at him in total disbelief, "You just let her leave? After she helped you heal? Spock, the human nervous system is not built to deal with that kind of transference." she pointed out. She shook her head and quickly headed for Leonard's office. She threw off the blanket and grabbed his always supplied Medical bag. She almost ran into Jim as she came out of the office.

"What's wrong?" he questioned her.

She looked past him as Nurse Chapel came in, "Keep Spock here and call for Doctor McCoy to meet us at Lieutenant Uhura's quarters." she directed.

Chapel nodded and headed straight for Commander Spock - who was already trying to get out of his bed.

Jim followed her down the corridors, "You haven't answered me." he reminded her as they got on the lift.

"The amount of pain that is transferred can be very overwhelming." She clenched her fist as she shook her head, "I should have told Leonard to keep her in Medical under observation - I wasn't thinking." She exited the lift before the doors completely opened and headed for Uhura's door. She punched in her security code and went in. She saw the young woman laying, sprawled out on her bed, still in her uniform. She went over to her and gently rolled her over and checked her eyes. _She was unconscious._

"What the hell is wrong?" McCoy demanded as he rushed in and quickly scanned the woman.

Kaitlyn glanced at him as she touched the woman's face gently. "I should have warned you about the side effects of a healing trance. This is my fault. If you will give me a few minutes to access her condition, please." she requested. She placed her fingers on Uhura's katra points and closed her eyes gently. She was immediately bombarded with intense pain. She sifted through the pain and found the problem. Uhura's mind had been overwhelmed with the pain that Spock had transferred to her, but her mind was falsely thinking the pain was hers and had shut down.

Jim and Leonard watched as Kaitlyn proceeded to Mindmeld with Uhura. Jim looked at his friend, "Did you know she could do that?" he questioned quietly.

Leonard shook his head and raised an eyebrow as Kaitlyn opened her eyes slowly. "Well?"

"Her mind does not know how to deal with the transference of pain. I will take it from her. It will take me about thirty minutes, then you can move her to Medical." Kaitlyn explained.

"Can't Spock do this?" Leonard questioned as she stood up.

Kaitlyn frowned, "You can't give your pain to someone else, then take it back yourself - that's not how it works. I should have just. . ." she stopped and took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She looked up at Jim, "Could you please tell Commander Spock that Lieutenant Uhura will be fine and that she will be in Medical in about thirty minutes - I'm sure he's giving Nurse Chapel a hard time."

Jim nodded, "You'll be okay after?"

Kaitlyn gave him a small smile, "I'll need to mediate for a few hours, then I'll be just fine." she assured him.

Leonard shook his head as he walked over to them, "What if you're not 'just fine' after - then what do we do?"

"This isn't my first time doing this, I'll be okay. But, you could always give me a dose of that drug that wipes my memories and I won't remember anything from the past twelve hours." she shrugged.

"That's not funny." Leonard frowned.

"I didn't say it to be funny." She raised an eyebrow at Kirk.

Jim nodded, "After you've finished and meditated, I need to speak with you." He left and headed back to Medical.

Kaitlyn glanced at Leonard, he still had that frown on his face. She clasped her hands behind her back. She looked down and sighed, "I'm sorry that I forgot about the pain transference." she apologized. "It's been a long time since I've worked that closely with Vulcans and I guess I just wasn't thinking right."

Leonard gently pulled her to him and cupped her face and made her look up at him, "You had just been knocked out by an explosion and were on some serious pain killers." He kissed her forehead, then stepped back. "Do you need anything?"

She shook her head, "No."

XXXXX

Commander Spock was sitting on a chair near his bed and trying to meditate. He should have realized that he'd transferred his pain to Nyota and that she was not prepared to deal with it. _Where had his logic been? Why had he not been concerned?_ The only reason he could come up with is that he was so focused on preparing the Enterprise for their tasks, that he hadn't thought about anything else. There was no excuse for his oversight. His eyes snapped open and he quickly stood up as Nyota was brought on a stretcher by the medics.

Doctor McCoy watched as the medics transferred her onto a biobed. He quickly scanned her, then nodded. "She's just sleeping, Commander. She should wake up in just a little while."

Commander Spock looked back at the door, "Where is Commander Donovan?"

"She's meditating in her quarters." McCoy stated as he input some information on the PADD. "She is feeling particularly responsible for Lieutenant Uhura's condition."

Commander Spock raised an eyebrow, "I also feel responsible. I should have been aware of the problems Lieutenant Uhura would experience."

"Well, ya'll can debate about who feels more responsible later." Leonard McCoy watched the Vulcan as he studied Uhura. "Spock, how is it she can Mindmeld?" he questioned quietly.

Spock glanced at the doctor, "Her Mother's species is very adaptable." He was intrigued the more he found out about Donovan, but he would have to wait to speak to her about the abilities she had. "Am I released for duty?" he questioned.

McCoy nodded, "Just don't go getting yourself thrown against any more walls." He headed back to his office to type up his report quickly. He sat down at his desk and frowned as he picked up his PADD. He'd offered to stay with Kaitlyn while she meditated, but she said he'd distract her. Then she'd made him promise he'd come in exactly two hours to check on her.

XXXXX

Kaitlyn blinked slowly as she felt herself coming out of her meditative trance. She smiled as she saw Leonard sitting on the floor across from her. "It's been two hours?"

Leonard nodded. He'd come in and just sat down across from her and watched her for a few minutes. She'd looked so peaceful. Then, she'd come out of her meditative trance without him having to say anything. "Feeling better?"

Kaitlyn blew out the candle sitting on the small table between them, "Yes, I feel much better. Is Lieutenant Uhura awake?" she asked as she stood up.

Leonard got up and scanned her quickly, "She's fine - been released for duty." He looked over the readings and nodded.

"I'm able to return to duty?" she raised an eyebrow.

He grinned, "I think you should change out of those scrubs first." How could she make scrubs look so good?

Kaitlyn stepped closer and looked up at him with a small smile on her lips, "I should probably shower too."

Leonard pulled her close to him and held her for a few moments. He didn't want to lose her, didn't want anything bad to happen to her. Yet, he'd been powerless to help her when that bomb had exploded. He had to wait until they got her back, and even then, he could only treat her wounds. He realized last night when he heard her speaking with the Admirals that she'd been dealt a heavy burden by being Ambassador Spock's Debriefing Officer. She had to walk a fine line between interfering with events, or letting them play out. And now they were tasked with finding Khan - a man who obviously had a grudge against Jim, even though the alleged events hadn't even occurred. _Damn Nero for stirring up a hornets' nest!_

Kaitlyn leaned against him and sighed softly, realizing that he was feeling a bit overwhelmed. She pulled back and kissed him gently, "We're all okay." she reminded him.

"For now - but how long will that last?" he took a deep breath and decided to make the best of the situation. He crinkled his nose, "Yeah, you should probably take a shower."

She raised an eyebrow slowly.

Leonard grinned, "I should help you and make sure you don't hit your head again."

"Are you attempting to make a pass at me? I think you're out of practice - you . . ." he stopped her sentence by kissing her hard on the lips. She wrapped her legs around him as he picked her up and headed for the shower.

XXXXX

Jim Kirk entered the Dining Hall and nodded to the crew around him as he selected his meal and quickly brought it over to the table and sat down in his usual spot. Bones had obviously just sat down because he was putting his napkin in his lap and situating his silverware. Jim grinned and leaned closer to his best friend, "Heard you were still wet when you went back to Medical earlier."

Leonard stopped his fork mid air and narrowed his eyes. _Yeoman Rand_. She'd been the only one that had seen him in Medical before he'd gone to use the blow dryer in the bathroom to dry his hair. He'd have to have a little talk with the Yeoman.

"Come on, Bones - don't get upset. Unfortunately, now some of the crewmen are curious as to who you're seeing." Jim's grin widened.

Leonard set his fork down, "Don't they have anything better to do?" He didn't care if people knew, but Kaitlyn was a private person and she didn't need any rumors going around. "Jim . . ." he shook his head slowly.

"I know, she's a private person." Jim nodded. "Just be discrete."

Leonard looked up as Kaitlyn came in with Spock. It looked like they were deep in conversation as they went through the line and selected their food.

The two stopped talking as they approached the table and took their seats.

Kaitlyn frowned slightly as she glanced at Spock, then quickly busied herself with her napkin. She looked between Jim and Leonard and smiled, "So, how have your afternoons been?" she asked them.

Jim nodded, "I spoke with Commander Benson and he agreed that you should give the Security Team Members a debriefing on the Augments in the morning."

Kaitlyn looked at Leonard and raised an eyebrow in question.

Leonard shrugged, "Pretty quiet this afternoon, for a change." He noted that she was still avoiding eye contact with Spock. He wondered what was wrong.

They started to eat and the conversation stopped.

Jim frowned as he looked between Spock and Kaitlyn - there was a distinct air of tension surrounding them. "What's wrong?" he asked them when he couldn't take it anymore.

Spock raised an eyebrow slowly, then took a deep breath. "Commander Donovan and I disagree on how to deal with Khan, should we encounter him." he stated.

Kirk leaned closer, "What did you suggest?" he asked Spock.

"I suggested that we proceed with caution, but that we don't expect this Khan to behave the same way the other Khan did." Spock stated as he looked pointedly at Kaitlyn.

She tilted her head slightly, "Did you see what he did to that ship? He rigged it to explode - he didn't care who it was, but he hoped it was Jim that he'd kill. Scotty said they'd left the ship ten months ago. If anything, this Khan is going to be far more maniacal than the other one because he's already angry at Jim before he's even met him!" She realized her voice had grown louder. She leaned back and took a calming breath to lower her blood pressure. "Commander, I specifically asked you to drop the subject until we could discuss this again - privately, tomorrow morning." she pointed out to Spock.

Jim Kirk watched Kaitlyn. It wasn't often that she got angry - or at least she didn't usually show it, but it was obvious to him that she was furious at Spock. "What approach did you suggest?" he asked her quietly.

She looked at Jim, "Blow his ship up as soon as we find him." she stated evenly.

Jim looked at her in disbelief.

Leonard's brows were furrowed, "You mean, just blow it up - without talking to him first?" he didn't understand why she would suggest such a thing - it went completely against her training as a First Contact Officer.

"I've run through countless scenarios this afternoon - no matter what we do, it will have a devastating outcome. The only logical solution is to take Khan and his crew out of the equation." Kaitlyn pointed out.

XXXXX

TBC.

Reviews are much appreciated!


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or any of its characters.

Please refer to the Author's notes in Chapter 1.

Thank you to Just a Crazy-Man, Obsessive66, AngelQueen, Ataxia O'Rourke, Kushina98, Emberka-2012, royalpinkdogs, Mike, Ace, Zedoc, Saissa, bonesfan4ever, and Furionknight for the reviews and all of the readers following this story!

The Ripple Effect

Chapter 15

Kaitlyn followed Jim Kirk to his quarters to discuss her suggestion.

He indicated for her to sit down on the couch as he sat down on the chair. Jim watched her as she pulled out her PADD and turned it on. "Are you going to explain your suggestion?" he asked.

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, "I had wanted to sleep on all of this, in case I had an epiphany on the situation." Kaitlyn frowned, "Jim, Nero has accelerated this conflict between you and Khan." She handed him the PADD, "I've come up with twenty-three scenarios. You can review them - maybe you can think of something I haven't." she shrugged.

Jim looked at the PADD skeptically, then back to Kaitlyn. "Just what type of scenarios are these?"

"I took into account Khan's personality, Nero's probable perversion of events from the other universe to get Khan riled up, and the events that unfolded in the other universe - I came up with these scenarios." she indicated the PADD. She saw his questioning look. "I see things differently, I can extrapolate outcomes and effects." She stood up, "I'll see you at the morning meeting."

Jim nodded, then she turned and left him alone. He tapped the PADD to start scenario #1.

XXXXX

Kaitlyn walked into her quarters and frowned slightly when Leonard looked up from the PADD he was reading as he sat on her couch.

He patted the cushion beside him.

She came over and sat down. She was tired and she just wanted to go to sleep.

Leonard wrapped his arm around her and she leaned her head against his shoulder. He was confused about the suggestion she had made. "Do you really think the best way to deal with Khan is to blow his ship up?"

"Yes." She turned slightly to look at him, "Leonard, I was a MACO Commanding Officer for a very long time because I understand tactical situations - we are in a distinct disadvantage."

"A No-Win Scenario?" his brows furrowed.

Kaitlyn shook her head, "Like Jim, I don't believe in No-Win Scenarios. It just comes down to the severity of damage to the ship and the loss of life we will incur."

He sighed softly and ran his hand through his hair, "You know Jim won't just blow up the ship."

Kaitlyn patted his leg, "I know that, but it was my job to suggest it because I know Spock wouldn't." She gave him a small smile, "I need to go to sleep - I'm debriefing the Security teams on the Augments at 0600." She stood up and walked towards her bed, she looked back when he hadn't moved from the couch, "Are you coming?" she questioned.

Leonard nodded and followed her. He'd been lost in thought - he wondered how much loss of life she had predicted. He tried to clear his thoughts a few minutes later when Kaitlyn laid her head on his chest. He lazily ran his hand over her back.

Kaitlyn closed her eyes tiredly. _She knew in her heart that Jim Kirk wouldn't just blow up Khan's ship_. What she hadn't given to Jim were the five other scenarios in which members of the crew sacrificed themselves in order to stop Khan. She needed to sleep, her mind was unsettled.

XXXXX

1000 - Rendezvous location with the Petenkin

Jim Kirk watched the view screen intently as they approached the last known coordinates of the Petenkin. They had not responded to hails for the past hour.

Sulu moved the controls and the Enterprise stopped.

Kirk stood up. Flashes of their first encounter with Nero came to his mind.

Remnants of the ship were floating ahead of them in space.

"Spock, will we be able to beam aboard?" he asked quickly as he swallowed the lump in his throat.

"Yes, Captain. The ship's emergency systems are still functioning." the Vulcan stated as he stood up.

Kirk nodded, "Then there could still be survivors. Spock, Donovan, Benson, and McCoy - go over and survey the situation. Keep an open comm link and a transporter fix on the Away Team." he ordered.

Everyone nodded and quickly went to work.

They entered the transporter room and were each handed an emergency backpack. They strapped on the packs, then stepped onto the transporter pad.

McCoy looked at Spock, "Have I told you how much I don't like my molecules being taken apart?" he questioned.

The Vulcan raised an eyebrow, "It is irrelevant if you like it or not, as long as you rematerialize in one piece - you should be fine." he pointed out.

McCoy rolled his eyes, "Should be." he scoffed.

Donovan tried to ease his apprehension, "We could always put you in an EV suit and throw you at the ship to get you over there." she suggested.

"You're not helping." the doctor frowned.

XXXXX

They walked down the corridor and headed to the bridge first to check for survivors.

They found one crew member, Commander Harris, the Executive Officer, still alive.

"He has a lot of internal damage, Spock - I need to operate quickly." McCoy explained.

Spock opened his communicator, "Mister Scott, transport Doctor McCoy, plus one to the Enterprise." he ordered.

"Aye, Sir." Scotty said quickly.

A few seconds later, they transported.

Spock turned to Benson, "Have a few teams beam over and we'll start a room by room search."

He turned to Donovan, "Start reviewing the ship's logs and send them to the Enterprise."

Spock and Benson left the bridge.

She went to the science stations and started each of the four consoles, then opened her communicator, "Enterprise, this is Donovan."

"Enterprise here, go ahead Commander Donovan." Uhura replied.

"Enterprise, I'm ready to upload the data from the Petenkin - is the system ready?" she asked.

"Yes, Commander. You may proceed." Uhura stated.

Donovan closed the communicator and began the upload procedure on all of the stations.

She wondered where Andrew was. He wasn't here on the bridge.

She stood up and surveyed the damage.

There were eight bodies scattered about the bridge, all dead.

She recognized one of them and walked over to him.

First Contact Officer, Lt. Commander Ben Stevens had a look of surprise on his face.

She kneeled beside him and closed his eyes. Lt. Aminty was going to be devastated.

"What a heavy price to pay for this freedom we enjoy." she said softly.

She stood up and turned around.

Commander Spock stood a few feet away from her. "The FCO, I presume?"

She nodded, "Yes, he was. I have started uploading of the ship's database to the Enterprise." she stated.

"Captain Kirk has called in for a Medical ship and a salvage ship to rendezvous with us. They will be here in five hours." Spock relayed the information.

"Have you located Captain Jacobs yet?" she asked.

"No, not yet."

Donovan nodded, "Then let's go help out with the room to room search." she suggested.

He nodded and they left the bridge.

XXXXX

Twelve survivors had been rescued from the Petenkin. _Twelve out of three hundred and sixteen._

Kirk walked through the Medical Bay and spoke to the ten survivors that were conscious.

He walked to McCoy's office.

Bones frowned, "This was a mess."

"Will they make it?" he asked about the two officers that had to have major surgery.

Bones looked through his glass window to the bay, "They should."

"Good." he nodded. "I'll have Spock and Donovan start to debrief the ones that are conscious." Kirk said.

"Jim, they've been through a lot - can't it wait?" Bones suggested.

Kirk shook his head, "That's exactly why we can't wait. The ship that did this is still out there. We have to stop it. We don't even know if this was Khan, or someone else." He ran his hand tiredly through his hair and frowned at the thought of there being someone else out to destroy Starfleet. He'd already contacted Starfleet Command and they wanted him to hurry the situation along and find out who was responsible for the destruction of the Petenkin.

"Jim," Bones stepped closer, "have the psychologist talk to our people that went over there." He knew how traumatizing the situation would be to their psyches.

Kirk patted his friend's arm, "I already have him talking to them." he said, then left.

XXXXX

Spock walked into the room where the Psychologist was waiting.

"Please, come in Commander Spock." Doctor Kashin invited from his plush chair.

Spock stayed at thresh hold of the door. "Doctor, it is unwise for you to spend time talking with me when there are other crew members that need your counsel." he stated matter-of-factly.

"Very well." the doctor nodded. "But if you ever feel you need to speak with me at a later date, please schedule an appointment."

Spock raised an eyebrow, "I assure you, Doctor - if I _feel_ anything, I will come to you for counseling." he nodded, then left.

Doctor Kashin looked up from his chair as the door opened again a few seconds later.

"Please, come in Commander Donovan."

Kaitlyn came in and sat down in the chair across from him. She watched him carefully.

Kashin had the distinct impression that she was sizing him up. "Is there anything you wish to tell me before we begin?" he questioned.

Donovan nodded. "I'm fine. My stress level is 5 out of 10, our mission success was 8 out of 10. On that note, between the Petenkin's database that I need to analyze and the survivors that I need to debrief - I feel that this is not a good use of my time at the moment. I will come and speak to you at a later time, when we don't have a renegade ship out there blowing up innocent people." she stood up and left.

The doctor watched as she left and the doors shut. He picked up his PADD and pulled up her service records, wondering who this woman really was.

XXXXX

Spock and Donovan each spoke to five of the survivors.

Spock glanced back as he spoke to her, "They all said they fell unconscious after a green wave washed over the Petenkin from the enemy ship. It would seem that the purpose was to render the crew unconscious."

Donovan nodded, "We will have to review the data to see if anything was taken from the Petenkin."

Spock nodded and they headed to her lab to review all of the files from the other ship.

The enemy ship was definitely technologically advanced.

Spock called up the computer files. The first thing they discovered was the enemy vessel was cloaked while it was attacking the Petenkin. They analyzed the firing patterns from different angles to determine its maneuverability and extrapolated how many weapons it could fire at once.

Kaitlyn sat back after they had watched the files for the fifth time. "Well, Commander - what are your thoughts?"

Spock steepled his fingers, "It is a ship like no other. The Klingons and Romulans do not have the capability to fire while cloaked." he pointed out.

Kaitlyn nodded, "What does that tell us?"

Commander Spock lifted a brow, "That perhaps more future technology from Nero has changed hands and has now been used to enhance a cloaked ship from this era." he stated.

"Which leads us to the question - who's in that ship and what do they want?" Kaitlyn questioned.

"From what you know of Khan's personality, is this attack something he would do?" Spock asked.

She shrugged as she picked up her PADD distractedly, "If he did this to exact revenge on Starfleet for allowing him and his crew to be stranded on Ceti Alpha V by Captain Kirk." Kaitlyn winced the second she realized her slip. She took a calming breath. _She should've meditated again before she'd gone to sleep last night. _The past few days had been too stressful for her to keep everything straight and compartmentalized on who was supposed to know what and about whom. She glanced at Spock slowly.

Spock watched as she silently reprimanded herself for her slip. "If you had told us about that event, it would have lent credence to his extreme actions."

"Commander Spock, I must request that you do not mention what I said to the Captain." Kaitlyn looked at him pointedly.

"As you pointed out several times to us, the events from the other universe will most likely not re-occur here since Nero has contaminated this universe. What repercussions do you think will occur if Captain Kirk learns this information?" He glanced at her PADD and noted that she was scrolling through a file quickly.

She shook her head, she was not going to slip up again. "I still have a few contacts from my time in Starfleet Intelligence - I'll see what I can find out about this cloaked ship." She stood up and headed to the door. "Lock up when you leave Commander." She instructed and headed to her quarters to make a few secured communiqués.

XXXXX

TBC.

Review are appreciated!


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or any of its characters.

Please refer to the Author's notes in Chapter 1.

Thank you to Just a Crazy-Man, Obsessive66, AngelQueen, Ataxia O'Rourke, Kushina98, Emberka-2012, royalpinkdogs, Mike, Ace, Zedoc, Saissa, bonesfan4ever, and Furionknight for the reviews and all of the readers following this story!

The Ripple Effect

Chapter 16

The Locque Lounge

Kirk smiled as the beautiful woman kissed his cheek before she left the bar stool beside him. He looked around the well appointed lounge and checked for his Away Team members. Donovan had received a message that there were Klingons on a nearby planet and they altered their course slightly to find them, while the Medical ship took the wounded to the nearest Star base and the Salvage ship went over the Petenkin wreckage with a fine tooth comb. His eyes narrowed when he didn't see Donovan at the table she had been sitting at a little while ago. He walked over to McCoy, who was still sitting at the table. "Where is she?"

Leonard McCoy frowned, "She said she was going to check out a lead."

Kirk looked flabbergasted, "And you just let her go? This isn't exactly an ideal planet for a female to visit." he pointed out.

"Like I'd let her go by herself!" Leonard seethed at his friend. "Spock went with her." McCoy was irritated. "If you hadn't been otherwise occupied, you would have seen them leave."

Kirk looked at him sharply, "What has got you so upset?" He opened his communicator, "Kirk to Spock - what is your location?" he asked.

"Spock here." he replied, there was a lot of noise around him. "We are in a bar about two blocks from your location. Commander Donovan is trying to get information from a group of Klingons." he explained.

Kirk frowned at the news, "We'll be there in a few minutes." he stated and closed the communicator. He glanced at McCoy again, "Let's go."

McCoy followed his Captain down the street to the bar.

When they entered, their eyes had to adjust to the low lighting. They spotted Spock and walked over to him.

"Where is Donovan?" Kirk questioned quickly.

Spock turned in his seat and indicated the bar.

Four Klingons dressed in their uniforms were banging their fists on the bar with each count, shots at the ready.

"One, two, three, drink!" they all exclaimed, then gulped the liquid quickly.

"Ahhh." they all growled and parted slightly.

That's when Kirk and McCoy saw Donovan. She was in the middle of the Klingons, drinking with them.

"What is going on?" McCoy demanded to know from Spock.

"Commander Donovan said she could get information out of them. She told me to wait here." Spock stated simply.

"By God man - she doesn't drink!" Leonard was upset. He started to go over to her, but Jim stopped him.

"Stay here." he told them both, then he walked over to the boisterous group.

One of the Klingons looked at the man approaching, "Don't look now, Kaitlyn - a hu-man is coming."

Kaitlyn saw Kirk, "Gentlemen, this is Captain James Kirk. He is an honorable man." she lifted her glass to him and quickly downed the shot.

"Does he drink?" the Klingon eyed him.

She smiled, "I believe he does. Bartender - another round." she called.

The drinks were filled and placed in front of them.

The Klingon handed Kirk the glass, "Kaitlyn was telling us about a vessel in the area that has been destroying ships." the Klingon was measuring him up. "Do you think the ship is Klingon?" he seethed.

"We do not know - we are trying to find out, so that we can stop them." Kirk replied.

"It can not be a Klingon vessel." another stated. "She said it is cloaked while it fires." he pointed out.

"Perhaps someone stole the device and enhanced it." Kirk suggested.

One of the Klingons slammed his fists on the bar, "No one steals from us and survives! We would have heard about it if that had happened." he stated.

"Maybe your Captain would know - could we speak with him?" Kirk asked quickly.

Donovan placed her hand on Jim's arm to silence him. "Enough - we drink to those that have lost their lives bravely in battle." she put the focus of the Klingons back on her.

They nodded with growls and got their drinks ready.

Kirk picked up his glass.

"One, two, three, drink!" they all said in unison and drank the liquid quickly.

XXXXX

Leonard McCoy rubbed his temple tiredly, "How much longer is this going to go on?" he pressed Spock. They had been watching the group for an hour. He was surprised that any of them were still standing at the rate they had been drinking.

Spock raised an eyebrow, "I believe they are done." he said as the Klingons went past their table and left the building.

Kirk and Donovan walked back over to them.

Jim grinned crookedly and slapped Bones in the arm, "They're going to get us a meeting with their Captain." he told them.

Kaitlyn nodded and gave Jim a quick glance, "We need to leave."

The four beamed back to the ship and Spock headed to the bridge.

Leonard looked at Kaitlyn, "I'm surprised at you." he frowned. "I thought you didn't drink."

She smiled, "I don't usually. I took an inhibitor before I started drinking." she looked at Kirk and smiled softly - he looked so sloshed. "He didn't. We need to get him to his quarters before any of the crew see him like this."

McCoy nodded and he and Kaitlyn discretely walked Jim to his quarters.

Kirk had been listening to them, but he had kept quiet until now. "That's not fair you know." he looked at Kaitlyn. "You taking an inhibitor and not telling me - letting me drink with them like that." he said as the two of them put him in his bed - clothes and all.

"It will all be worth it in the end." she patted his cheek.

He was already closing his eyes and turning over.

They left his quarters and McCoy walked with her down the hall.

"Do you want to come over for coffee?" he asked her softly.

She nodded and followed him to his quarters.

Leonard poured two cups of coffee and handed her one after she sat down on the couch. He sat down beside her. "Why, exactly, were you drinking with the Klingons?" he asked softly.

"It is a good way to get them to loosen up, and it also shows them a form of strength, if you can hold your liquor." she explained and took a sip.

"You can't just talk to them without drinking?" he asked.

She laughed, "You can fight them." She watched him, he looked concerned. "I've done that before - I got a few broken ribs. I didn't think you'd like for me to try that approach again."

"No. I don't want you to fight them." he frowned. "Why do we need to get information from them - why can't we talk to other people?"

"We could." she agreed. "And we will." she sat back and took another sip. "But, if we are looking for a cloaked ship, logically we should question the Klingons."

Leonard rolled his eyes, "You're starting to sound more like Spock."

She shrugged.

XXXXX

"They're Klingons!" Kirk snapped, he still had a slight headache from yesterday's drinking binge with the Klingons. He and Donovan were walking quickly to the conference room to discuss the situation. The Klingons had just contacted them and said that their Captain would speak to Donovan on his ship at the rendezvous location. He shook his head, "I can't let you go over there by yourself." he said as the conference room doors closed.

"I need to speak to him, Jim. He's not going to come here." Kaitlyn pointed out.

"Kaitlyn, this could be a trap. You need to take a security team with you." he crossed his arms.

She shook her head, "If it's a trap, you're just giving them more hostages." she looked at him, "I'll be fine."

He sighed heavily, "I suppose if I say no, you'll just trump me with your FCO privilege." he guessed.

She shrugged, "Then don't make me use it."

"Okay. You go - but we keep an open comm link and a transporter fix on you." Jim laid out the terms.

Kaitlyn nodded, "That's doable." She didn't want to point out that if the Klingons engaged their cloaking device, the Enterprise wouldn't be able to keep a transporter fix on her.

Jim Kirk looked at her once more, "If something happens to you, Bones will shove me out the nearest airlock."

"I'll be fine." she said again and they headed back to the bridge.

XXXXX

The Enterprise came to a halt at the agreed upon coordinates. Kirk stood up, "I don't like being a sitting duck." he commented.

Donovan stood beside him, "They're here. Do you want to hail them - or should I?" she offered.

Jim Kirk nodded to her, "Go ahead."

Donovan looked at the screen, "Open a channel, please." she requested.

Uhura nodded, "Hailing frequencies open."

Donovan spoke in Klingon, "To the Klingon vessel Kraven and its escorts - this is the U.S.S. Enterprise. I am First Contact Officer Commander Donovan. We will wait for your response." she told them.

A few moments later Uhura spoke, "We are being hailed, Captain."

Kirk nodded.

The view screen was filled with a Klingon's face that was a bit too close to the screen. "I am Captain Pavok of the Kraven." he spoke in clipped English.

"I am Captain James T. Kirk." he introduced himself.

Pavok nodded, "We are ready for Commander Donovan to beam aboard. We are sending you the coordinates now." he said, then the message ended and the view screen reverted to the stars.

Kirk walked with her to the Transporter Room. He nodded at Scotty, then looked at Donovan, "Do you need anything?"

"No, Captain." she shook her head and stepped on the platform.

Donovan looked at Scotty, "Energize." she ordered and was gone in a few seconds.

"She's a brave one." Scotty commented to his Captain.

Kirk nodded, "Keep a fix on her." he directed.

"Aye, Sir." Scotty nodded.

Kirk headed back to the bridge.

XXXXX

Commander Donovan materialized on the bridge of the Kraven, just a few feet away from its Captain. She nodded curtly, "Captain."

Pavok grunted and looked her up and down. "I expected you to be bigger - it was reported that you took down two Klingon Officers on the Sonjbok." he stated.

She shrugged slightly, "They called me weak. I had to prove them wrong."

He motioned for her to walk with him. They went to a small room with a metal table and two metal chairs. He indicated for her to sit down. "You said there is a ship that can fire while cloaked?" he asked.

She nodded, "It has destroyed three of our ships. Has the Klingon Empire come across such a vessel?" she asked him.

He did not answer her. He studied her carefully.

She watched him, waiting him out.

"We know of such a vessel. It has destroyed four of our ships." Pavok explained. He leaned closer, "I checked the information you gave my crew. There was a renegade Klingon Captain that supposedly traded an old cloaking device that never worked for a new weapon."

"What was the weapon?" she asked.

He shrugged, "We have not heard from the ship - we believe it was destroyed by the Romulans they were making the exchange with."

"Romulans?" she questioned. "Is there a way to track the old Klingon cloaking device?" she asked.

"Yes." the Klingon Captain replied.

Donovan waited for him to explain, but he just sat there. She sat back, "If you are not willing to help us now, while we can still track the device - I do not know if any help will be offered later, after it is upgraded and changed so that even you can't track it." she pointed out to him.

He growled and slid a small disk to the center of the table. "When all of these components are in the same area, the old cloaking device is activated." he stated.

Donovan reached for the disk and Pavok quickly grabbed her hand.

"We will destroy the ship when we find it. Will Starfleet do the same?" he asked pointedly.

"I will." she stated.

"What about the others? What will they do?" he asked her.

"I can not speak for them." Donovan snatched the disk and stood up. "So, if you want it destroyed - you might want to help us find it first." she pointed out.

Pavok nodded slowly.

She opened her communicator, "Enterprise, one to beam back." She rematerialized back onto the Enterprise. She nodded at Scotty, "Please inform the Captain that I am on my way to the bridge."

"Aye." Scotty replied as she left quickly.

Commander Donovan handed the disk to Spock as soon as she stepped on the bridge.

"Good work getting this information." Kirk stated as Spock loaded the disk into his computer station.

They waited while the information loaded quickly.

Spock nodded as the information appeared on the screen. "Now that we know the three components that indicate the cloaked ship is present, perhaps we can locate it." he stated.

Kirk nodded, "Send this information to Starfleet Command, so they can send it out to the fleet." he ordered.

Spock nodded and quickly sent out a priority message to Starfleet Command.

XXXXX

TBC.

Reviews are greatly appreciated!


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or any of its characters.

Please refer to the Author's notes in Chapter 1.

Thank you to Just a Crazy-Man, Obsessive66, AngelQueen, Ataxia O'Rourke, Kushina98, Emberka-2012, royalpinkdogs, Mike, Ace, Zedoc, Saissa, bonesfan4ever, and Furionknight for the reviews and all of the readers following this story!

The Ripple Effect

Chapter 17

The Senior Officers waited in the Conference room for the incoming message from Starfleet Command. They had sent in their initial report on the cloaked vessel and Starfleet had been confirming their findings.

The Admirals did not looked pleased when their images came on the screen.

Admiral Archer began. "We reviewed your findings and started inquiries of our own. We went back over the items you had been collecting over the years and have confirmed they were from Nero's ship, but frankly - there could be much more that we don't know about - like that Nutritional Unit."

Donovan leaned forward, "Admirals, I know that Starfleet has been striving to prepare its defenses, but I believe that many things have been advanced - knowingly, or unknowingly by Nero's sphere of influence in this time. I had questioned why so many technological advancements were happening 4 to 5 decades or more before their appearance in the other universe. I believe we have found the causation." she explained.

Admiral Vincent nodded, "We are continuing to make inquiries. On that note, we need your help. We have gathered intel that there is a stockpile of Nero's technology on Romulus." he stated.

Donovan closed her eyes and tried to remain calm. _She couldn't believe what he was about ready to ask her to do_. She prayed that her instincts were wrong.

Admiral Vincent continued, "Overtly, you will be there to speak with the Romulan Senate and make inquiries about this cloaked ship. Covertly, Donovan will locate the stockpile, and take it, or destroy it if all else fails."

Donovan shook her head, "I do not recommend this course of action." she told them.

The Enterprise Officers looked at her in surprise. One did not argue with a superior officer's orders.

Admiral Pike frowned, "Commander Donovan, Admiral Vincent informed us of what happened to you when you visited Romulus with Ambassador Spock. Frankly, I'm surprised you still want to work for us. But because you are a dedicated officer, we know you'll do what needs to be done."

Admiral Vincent nodded, "We will send you the specifics momentarily. Starfleet out."

The screen went blank.

The room was silent for a few seconds.

McCoy was trying to remain calm, "What really happened on Romulus?"

She stood up, "I don't think I can talk about it rationally." she clicked on a few buttons on the computer screen. "I don't remember everything, but you can read my report." she said softly, then left.

They read her report silently.

Things had gone according to schedule until the fourth day of the trip when she was kidnapped while walking to the Romulan Senate. She was found three days later, unconscious and badly beaten. Ambassador Spock had mind melded with her and she regained consciousness, but she had no recollection of those three days. Starfleet had gathered, from some of the markings left on her, that it had been the Tal'Shiar that had captured and tortured her in an effort to extract information from her.

Kirk leaned back in his seat. He could understand why she didn't want to talk about the situation. _And here Starfleet wanted her to go back_.

Kirk glanced at McCoy. He thought for sure that his friend would be spewing obscenities by now. Instead, the doctor was oddly quiet.

Spock spoke up, "I may be able to help Commander Donovan remember details of where she was - perhaps she saw something that will help us find the location of the stockpile."

McCoy frowned, "She doesn't want to remember." he glared at them, "Would you want to remember being tortured?"

"I would not presume to have her relive those memories, but perhaps she was transported somewhere, or will remember someone's name." Spock stated to McCoy.

Kirk looked at the two officers, "It will be up to us to make sure that she is safe while we are there. We will need to take extra precautions to make sure that everyone on the Away Team is transporter fixed at all times." he instructed.

The men nodded.

XXXXX

McCoy sighed as he entered the Shuttle Bay.

One of the Engineers pointed to the shuttlecraft Donovan had gone into.

McCoy entered the shuttle and saw her sitting in the pilot's seat, looking out the window.

He came over and sat in the co-pilot's seat. "What are you doing here?" he asked her quietly.

She let out a slow breath, "I was calculating how far I would get in this shuttle before the Enterprise caught up with me."

He crossed his arms across his chest, "What did you come up with?" he asked.

"Three minutes." she frowned. "I decided it wouldn't be worth the trouble, so I've just been sitting here." she shrugged.

Bones turned and watched her, "We're not going to let anything happen to you." he promised her.

She glanced at him, "I know." She swallowed hard, "It's very disconcerting to know that I was tortured, but not remember any of it."

Leonard reached for her hand, "I knew what they'd done to you, I saw all of the damage on your scans. I just didn't know all of the situation." He looked around the shuttle uncomfortably, "Can we get out of here?" he suggested.

She nodded and stood up.

He stood up and engulfed her in a hug. "Spock offered to help you remember where you were taken."

She looked up at him and nodded, "If I can remember something, maybe this won't take that long."

XXXXX

Romulus.

Kaitlyn smiled at the older Romulan as she handed him the currency to pay for the robes. She had selected robes for the Away Team members that would not stand out. She bowed slightly to the proprietor, "Jolan Tru."

They each put on a robe and pulled the hood up. They walked out of the small store and started to walk down the quiet street.

"From how you described the store, I believe it will be located in this area." Spock stated as he showed them the city layout on his PADD.

Kirk nodded, "Let's head out."

The dusk provided them with the ability to walk around the city and not be easily recognized as outsiders.

They rounded a street and Spock stopped. He pointed to the etching on the store window. "Is that the design?" he inquired.

She nodded and walked into the store.

Kirk locked the door after they entered.

Kaitlyn and Leonard approached the counter and the Romulan turned around slowly.

His eyes widened, "You!" he looked around the store quickly, looking for an escape. He saw the others and frowned. "I haven't sold any of it since you came - I promise!" he shook his head.

Kaitlyn watched him carefully as she started to piece together information, "I came by and talked to you, and told you not to sell anything, and that I would come back and collect it all." she remembered. She looked at Leonard, "I left here and was on my way back to the Senate. That's when they picked me up." She looked back at the Romulan as she remembered his name, "Velor - no one has come by the store and questioned you?" she asked.

"No." he shook his head.

"Where is all of the technology?" she asked him.

"In the back, come with me." he lead them down a long corridor.

They looked around the room at all of the technology stacked up around the large room.

Donovan started looking over all of the equipment, trying to recognize what they were.

Kirk shook his head, "And this is what you have left?"

Velor nodded and handed Kirk a bound notebook, "I kept detailed records of what I sold and who I sold it to." he explained.

Kirk looked over the names and recognized one that repeated often. He handed the book to Spock.

Spock raised his eyebrow and walked over to Velor, "How did you meet this person?" he asked and pointed to the name.

"He had been captured by the Romulans years ago, and I helped him escape." Velor stated.

There was a loud crashing at the front of the store.

Velor's eyes widened, "They will kill me when they find all of this here." he began to panic.

Kirk shut the heavy door and slid the bolt into place.

Kaitlyn came over to Jim quickly, "We have to meet with Senator Devan." she reminded him quietly.

He nodded and opened his communicator, "Scotty, I need you to beam Spock, McCoy, the Romulan and everything in this room to the Cargo Bay." he ordered.

"Aye, Captain - but what about you and Donovan?" Scotty asked.

"Beam us to the front of the Romulan Senate when you're done with them." Kirk stated. "Quickly, Scotty."

Kirk turned to Spock, "Start cataloging everything as soon as you get back. We will call when we're ready to beam back."

Spock nodded as he, McCoy, and Velor were transported. A few moments later, a pile of technology was transported.

They heard the front of the store being ransacked, then heavy boots running down the hall behind the locked door.

Donovan scanned the room and noted the ladder leading up to the roof. She got Kirk's attention and pointed.

They ran to the back of the room where the ladder was attached to the wall. They quickly started to climb up as more of the technology was transported. There was only a few more items left in the room.

They climbed onto the roof as the last of the technology was transported. Kirk shut the roof door as the room door below was smashed in and Romulans in their military uniforms came swarming into the room like ants.

Kirk and Donovan looked around the roof top, there was nowhere to run. They took off their robes and Donovan dropped them over the edge into the dumpster down below.

"Stand by, Captain." Scotty stated.

They were transported as the roof door started opening.

They rematerialized in front of the Senate building.

Kirk took a deep breath and nodded to Donovan and they walked up the steps calmly.

They headed to the reception desk.

The Romulan behind the desk stood up and nodded, "Captain Kirk, Commander Donovan. Senator Davan is expecting you. Commander Selvik will escort you." she indicated the officer beside her.

Kirk and Donovan followed the Commander down the halls of the Senate building to the Senator's office.

The Commander stopped at the secretary's desk. "Captain Kirk and Commander Donovan are here to see the Senator." he stated.

The secretary stood up, "Please, follow me."

The Senator stood up as they entered. He came around his desk and nodded, "Captain Kirk, it's a pleasure to meet you." He turned to Donovan, "Commander Donovan, I'm pleased that you are recovering so well. Please, sit down. What do I owe the pleasure?" he asked.

Kirk leaned forward, "When Commander Donovan and Ambassador Spock visited a few weeks ago, they spoke to you about Nero."

The Senator frowned, "As I told you then, we had no contact with that renegade."

Kirk nodded, "We know the Romulan government didn't, but someone else did - and that someone has been selling off Nero's advanced technology throughout the galaxy. Now, there is also a cloaked ship that has destroyed at least seven ships in the sector."

The Senator sat up, "Do you know what kind of ship it is?" he asked quickly.

Donovan shook her head, "I am still investigating." she stated.

"We spoke to Senator Doran earlier today and he said that you oversee the Tal'Shiar for the Senate, we were hoping that you would know more about any sightings of Nero in those 25 years he was here." Kirk explained.

The Senator frowned, "Senator Doran should not be speaking so freely about our assignments." He looked at them carefully, "Yes, I get reports from the Tal'Shiar - but I must admit, I often do not know what they do, until after everything is said and done." he stated.

They were interrupted when the doors to the Senator's office flew open. They stood up as a Romulan officer approached them quickly.

"Senator, these people have stolen Romulan technology." he accused them.

Kirk looked at the officer, "Sir, we have stolen nothing that belongs to you."

The Romulan Commander seethed, "We had a store under surveillance and they entered. When we went in, everything was gone." he told the Senator.

Donovan looked at the Romulan officer, he looked vaguely familiar. "Commander, you saw us enter a store you had under surveillance? That is highly unlikely." she pointed out.

"You were wearing robes, but I know it was you." he reiterated and moved closer.

Kirk stepped between the two, "I'm sure you are mistaken."

The Romulan Commander's eyes narrowed as he looked at Donovan, "I should have killed you when I had the chance."

Kirk looked at the man sharply, "What did you say?" he demanded.

The Senator pushed a button on his desk as he moved closer to the Romulan officer, "Did you kidnap Commander Donovan when she was here on her last visit?"

"Do you know who I am?" the Romulan Commander questioned the Senator angrily.

The Senator nodded, "Yes, I know who you are."

Four armed guards came in quickly and the Senator indicated the Commander.

"You are the Tal'Shair officer that overstepped his authority and risked starting a war with the Federation. Take him to the Detention Center for the kidnapping and torture of the Starfleet Officer Commander Donovan. I will be there shortly."

The Romulan Commander was furious, "You can't do this to me!" he yelled and was quickly knocked unconscious and dragged out of the room.

The Senator looked at the two Starfleet officers before him, "I will personally take care of this situation. He will be punished to the full extent of our law." he promised them.

Kirk nodded, "Thank you, Senator."

"Is there anything else that I can help you with?" the Senator asked them.

Donovan looked at the Senator, "We just want to re-iterate our concerns over the rapid advancement of technology and this cloaked ship that is causing havoc, if you learn anything that will help our investigation, please contact me."

The Senator nodded, "I will contact you if I learn anything."

"Jolan Tru, Senator." she said and bowed.

The Senator bowed slightly to them.

Kirk and Donovan were escorted back out of the Senate building.

Kirk opened his communicator, "Kirk to Enterprise, two to beam up."

They were quickly transported.

Kirk looked at Donovan and patted her arm, "That went better than expected."

She nodded and they headed to the Cargo Bay.

Kirk opened his communicator as they walked down the corridor, "Sulu, take us out of here."

"Aye, Captain." Sulu replied.

They walked into the Cargo Bay and found Spock supervising the engineers as they catalogued the technology.

Spock walked over to them, "We are scanning in all of the technology so that we can analyze each piece in the lab."

The Red Alert klaxon sounded.

"Captain, the convoy is under attack." Chekov reported.

"Change course to intercept - we'll be right there." Kirk replied as they quickly headed to the bridge.

"How long?" Kirk asked as they exited the turbo lift and went to their posts on the bridge.

"Thirty-three minutes, Captain." Sulu stated.

Spock quickly started sensor sweeps of the area.

Kirk sat down in his command chair and pushed the comm button, "Scotty, are we ready for this?" he asked.

"Aye, Captain. As ready as we can be." the engineer replied.

Kirk turned his chair and looked at Spock, "Anything?" he asked.

"Captain, we are picking up weapon fire." Spock stated.

Uhura spoke up, "Captain, the convoy is not answering our hails."

Donovan quickly called up the details of the convoy.

Kirk looked up as McCoy stepped onto the bridge, "Is Medical ready?" he asked.

McCoy nodded and walked over to Donovan and touched her shoulder.

She turned to Kirk, "Captain, the convoy consist of 4 ships. 3 transports lead by the _U.S.S. Robinson_. 327 total personnel, including the dignitaries on board." she reported.

"What kind of weapons on the transports?" Kirk inquired.

"Only phasers, Sir." she answered.

Kirk nodded, "Shields up. Ready all weapons." he ordered.

XXXXX

They had managed to run off the attacking cloaked ship, but not before it had disabled all of the convoy. Luckily, there were only seven casualties. Unfortunately, they had lost the trail of the cloaked ship. Repairs were being made to all of the ships with the help of Scotty's Engineers.

The Senior Officers were convening in the Conference room to decide the next course of action.

Donovan was standing by the window, contemplating alternative possibilities as she listened to the other's speak.

Spock turned to Kirk, "Captain, if Mr. Scott will assist me, I believe we can amplify the range of our scanners." he stated.

Scotty looked at the Vulcan, "So we can search a larger area, in a shorter amount of time? Aye, I think we can do that." he nodded.

Kirk agreed, "Go ahead and get started." he directed them.

McCoy watched them leave and frowned. "Is that the best we can do? We still have to have the scanner pointed in the right direction, or we won't find them." he rolled his eyes.

"It's a start." Kirk acknowledged. He looked at Kaitlyn, she'd been quietly standing by. "Any suggestions?"

She walked over to the chair and ran her hands along the top, "We could give it something to come after." she suggested.

Kirk sat up, contemplating her idea.

McCoy gawked, "You mean use the Enterprise as bait?" he questioned. _Surely, that's not what she meant._

Jim raised an eyebrow in question, "Do you think it will work?"

She nodded, "Obviously, they don't want the convoy of supplies to get to the Klingons."

"Let's formulate a plan, then we'll inform Starfleet Command." Kirk stated.

Kaitlyn pulled out her PADD and quickly called up the information she needed.

Leonard McCoy shook his head, "We don't need any more plans that will rack up casualties." he pointed out to them.

Kaitlyn looked up slowly from her PADD, "There won't be any casualties." _Not if she planned this out right._

XXXXX

TBC.

Reviews are much appreciated!


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or any of its characters.

Please refer to the Author's notes in Chapter 1.

Thank you to Just a Crazy-Man, Obsessive66, AngelQueen, Ataxia O'Rourke, Kushina98, Emberka-2012, royalpinkdogs, Mike, Ace, Zedoc, Saissa, bonesfan4ever, and Furionknight for the reviews and all of the readers following this story!

The Ripple Effect

Chapter 18

0137, Kirk's quarters

Jim Kirk sat back on his couch and rubbed his eyes tiredly.

Starfleet Command had approved their plan to use the Enterprise as bait. They had sent out a message to all ships in the area that the convoy would be on its way again at 0900, and that the Enterprise would be escorting them. The Enterprise would be travelling ahead of the convoy to keep that flight path free of hostiles. As they travelled, Spock would be using the sensors to locate the cloaked ship.

Jim looked over at Kaitlyn as she rolled her shoulders and winced slightly. "Is your shoulder still bothering you?" he grew concerned.

She gave him a small smile, "Leonard thinks it's because of the radiation exposure. It's getting better."

Jim stood up, "Speaking of Bones - he'll yell at me if you don't get enough sleep. See you at breakfast."

Kaitlyn headed to the door, "Good night, Jim." She headed down the hall and went into her quarters and smiled slightly. Leonard was asleep on the bed with a PADD still held tightly to his chest. She went to her desk and activated the monitor. She sent out a comm signal and waited for a response. She didn't have to wait long.

The older Vulcan appeared on her screen and nodded slightly, "It is pleasing to hear from you, Kaitlyn. I was not sure if I would before the convoy began again." Ambassador Spock admitted.

She smiled, "I couldn't miss out on our weekly call, and I might be busy tomorrow. I'm glad you were awake."

"I have not been sleeping much lately." he stated quietly.

"Do you know why?" she leaned closer to the monitor.

"This universe is not agreeing with me." he sighed almost imperceptibly as he steepled his fingers together.

Kaitlyn frowned. She knew enough that, in theory, each universe had its own special makeup down to the molecular level. There would have to be some things that wouldn't mesh if you weren't from this universe. "Why didn't it effect Nero, like it is impacting you?" she questioned.

"He did have replicators from his own universe." he pointed out.

"There is a replicator in the stockpile we have. I will get it sent to you. I can have one of the convoy ships head back to Earth in under an hour." she thought quickly of an excuse to send one of the ships back. Easiest excuse would be to get the casualties and wounded back and out of harm's way. She quickly typed in a query into her PADD and waited.

"There are supplies that are needed by the Klingons on all of the convoy ships. This acceptance of supplies by the Klingons is monumental. They never accepted anything like this from the Federation in my universe. It is imperative that the supplies get to them." he pointed out. "I will be fine. It is the Enterprise that must be cautious."

Kaitlyn shrugged, "We'll be fine. The plan is in place to keep the convoy safe."

"If this cloaked ship is controlled by Khan, he will stop at nothing to destroy Jim Kirk." he watched her closely.

Kaitlyn nodded, "I know what needs to be done." She glanced down at her PADD and smiled. She looked back at Ambassador Spock, "There is an Andorian Imperial Guard vessel in our vicinity. I will contact them and they will bring the replicator to you - problem solved."

Ambassador Spock raised an eyebrow, "Do you know the Commander of the vessel?" he inquired.

"Yes, her father and I worked together many years ago." she quickly sent a message to the Commander of the _Kumari -A_ for them to rendezvous with the Enterprise. "I expect you to be doing better the next time I communiqué with you." she wagged her finger at him.

Ambassador Spock tilted his head, "I will try. Live Long and Prosper, Kaitlyn."

"Peace and Long Life, Ambassador Spock. Please give my regards to your father - for his, as well." Kaitlyn smiled.

"I will do so." he nodded, then ended the communication.

Kaitlyn sat back as a message came in from the Commander of the Kumari that they would arrive in three hours. She opened her communicator, "Donovan to Commander Spock." she requested.

"Spock here, how can I assist you, Commander?" he questioned from the Bridge.

"The Imperial Guard vessel, Kumari, will be arriving in three hours. They will be picking up an item from us and taking it back to Earth, per my request." she explained. "I will be there when they arrive."

"Very well. Is there anything else?" Spock inquired, his curiosity peeked.

"No, not for now. I'll see you in a few hours. Thank you, Commander." she ended the communication and looked up as she closed the communicator.

Leonard was leaning against the bookcase and had his arms crossed, "So the Ambassador isn't doing well?" he asked quietly.

Kaitlyn walked over to him slowly and she shrugged.

Leonard touched her cheek gently as her eyes started to glisten, "The replicator should help ease his symptoms." he tried to reassure her.

She closed her eyes and frowned, "But, it won't solve the problem." She wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned her head against his chest.

"No, it won't." he said quietly. Leonard knew she'd grown close to the old Vulcan Ambassador - close enough to move mountains in order to help him. He wondered what she knew 'had to be done.' He knew she was willing to put herself in danger, in order to protect others. She was like Jim in that regard.

Kaitlyn took a deep breath and stepped back. She didn't want to lose focus on the immediate problems of the cloaked ship and the convoy -and she certainly didn't want to waste the time she had with Leonard. "I have a few hours before I need to get to the Bridge."

Leonard kept a hold of her hand and walked her to the bed. They laid down and he smiled as she draped her body over him. "Did you set an alarm?" he questioned.

"The one on my PADD." she smiled and ran her hands over his chest.

XXXXX

0517 - Enterprise Bridge

Commander Kaitlyn stepped onto the Bridge and nodded to Commander Spock as he stood up from the Captain's chair. "Did you get any sleep?" she inquired quietly as she stood beside him.

"I took the time to meditate for a few hours." he nodded and looked at the screen. "The Kumari should be here soon." He looked back at the lift as the doors opened and Jim Kirk stepped out.

Kirk smiled at Kaitlyn's puzzled look, "You didn't think I'd miss this - did you?"

"I should have expected you to jump at the chance to meet someone else from my past." she admitted.

The Ensign on duty at the Communication station sat up a bit straighter, "Captain, we are being hailed by the Kumari." he said quickly.

Kirk nodded, "On screen." His smile widened at the Andorian female that stared back at them, "Greetings, I am Captain James T. Kirk of the U.S.S. Enterprise."

She nodded, "I am Commander Tala of the Imperial Guard vessel, Kumari." Her eyes swept the Bridge, then focused on Kaitlyn for a few moments. She smiled, "Before we agree to transporting this item to Earth, I would like to speak with you, Captain Kirk, and your First Contact Officer."

Kirk glanced at Kaitlyn. He could tell that Kaitlyn hadn't expected any kinks, or any negotiations. He smiled as he nodded to Commander Tala, "We would be honored. We will send you the coordinates." the screen changed back to the view of the stars and the Andorian vessel de-cloaked in front of them. "Spock, you have the Bridge." He indicated for Kaitlyn to head to the lift. He waited for the doors to close, "You weren't expecting any resistance to your request?"

Kaitlyn shook her head, "Tala wants something - I know that look, it's the same one her father would get on his face."

They got off the lift and walked into the Transporter Room. A few moments later, Commander Tala and three Guardsmen materialized.

Jim stepped forward, "It's good to meet you in person, Commander Tala."

The Andorian female eyed him swiftly, then shook his hand. "And for me to meet the Captain that destroyed Nero and saved Earth - you have gained much acclaim for one so young." she pointed out.

Jim shrugged, "I owe it to the fact that I have the best crew in Starfleet."

Commander Tala smiled at Kirk, then turned her attention to Kaitlyn, "It is good to see you again, Aunt Kaitlyn - our latest reports were that you were still on Vulcan when the planet was destroyed." Her antennae wilted slightly, she was hurt that Kaitlyn had not communiquéd that she was still alive.

Kaitlyn frowned, "I am sorry that I did not contact you. Why don't we go to the Conference Room?" she suggested as she noticed the Transporter Technician's interest was piqued by the conversation. The group walked down a few doors to the larger Conference Room, the three Guardsmen waited outside.

Commander Tala glanced between Kirk and Kaitlyn, "Who is in charge of the Operation to find the cloaked ship?" she questioned.

"Captain Kirk is, of course. Why do you ask?" Kaitlyn inquired.

"Because we want to offer our services. That ship has destroyed four of ours in the past week." Tala seethed.

Jim Kirk nodded, "We would be happy for any help you could give us. But, I believe that Commander Donovan requested an item to be transported back to Earth." he reminded the Andorian Commander.

Tala grinned, "I have the _Aenar_ on its way here - they will arrive in less than an hour. They will transport the item to Earth, while we help you." she explained to them.

Kaitlyn leaned forward, "Tala, the _Aenar_ - the Commander would lay his life down for you?" It was a diplomatic way to ask if the Commander could be trusted.

Tala smiled, "I would hope my younger brother would do so. Garev is the Commander of the _Aenar_ - it is a Medical ship and as such, I must be reassured that this item being transported is not a weapon, or a danger to its crew."

Kaitlyn breathed a sigh of relief. Garov was very trustworthy and followed his Mother's Pacifist upbringing of the Aenar. "It is a replicator. It is needed to help Ambassador Spock - he's not doing well here."

Tala's antennae stiffened. The Andorians knew of Ambassador Spock and his journey from the other universe that Nero had come from. All Federation Member planets had received the unclassified debriefing report. She looked at Kaitlyn curiously, "You were his Debriefing Officer. Garov will be most pleased to help the Ambassador." She sat back and glanced at Jim Kirk, "How much does he know about you?" she asked.

Kaitlyn smiled, "He knows enough."

Tala grinned at Jim Kirk, "I bet she didn't tell you that I use to sleep over at her house with her children when I was younger."

Jim shook his head, "No, she didn't mention it." He watched as Kaitlyn smiled sadly. He couldn't imagine her raising eight children while she was Commandant of the MACOs - heck, he still couldn't believe that she'd had eight kids and they were all older than him. "Why don't I let you two catch up until the _Aenar_ arrives. Do you think your Guardsmen would like a tour?" he asked Tala.

She nodded, "I'm sure they would. Thank you, Captain Kirk." Tala waited until the Enterprise Captain left, then sat back in the chair. "Aunt Kaitlyn, why all the secrecy? Why not tell everyone that you are alive?" she questioned.

Kaitlyn shrugged, "It's complicated - there are very few people that know who I really am."

"You are afraid of the reaction by the Humans? Why - because you are not completely Human? Do you think they would perceive that you deceived them all of these years you have served them? You have done nothing to indicate subterfuge. You earned every promotion you got, you accepted each posting they offered and you succeeded in your assignments." Tala watched Kaitlyn and shook her head. "I think your fear is unnecessary. There are many of us from other worlds that know who you are - we live much longer than Humans." She frowned, "Your own children are worried - did you know that Peter communiquéd me, asking if I knew you'd made it off of Vulcan? For someone who is supposed to be wiser than me - you're not acting like it." she pointed out.

Kaitlyn watched Tala and couldn't help but remember her running around the house as a child while her Father, Shran, was the Andorian Ambassador to the Federation on Earth. "When this mission is over, I will contact them myself."

Tala's antennae twitched and she frowned again, "You do not believe that you will survive this mission." It wasn't a question, it was a statement. Her people had always been able to feel Kaitlyn's emotions - and what Tala was picking up on was that of finality. "Why? You have never believed in no-win scenerios."

Kaitlyn nodded, "And I still don't. Jim Kirk is as important to this time, as Captain Archer was to the founding of the Federation. Khan, the man we believe is behind the cloaked ship, is out for vengeance. Nero obviously told him what Kirk did in the other universe, even though it hasn't happened here. What happens, happens - but I will make sure that Jim Kirk survives." she stated firmly.

Tala nodded, "Then we will help you succeed. I hear you have also enlisted the help of the Klingons."

Kailtyn smiled, "I forgot how well informed the Andorian Imperial Guard keep themselves. Yes, I have Captain Pavok and his crew on the _Kraven_ assisting us, as well. They are part of our backup plan. They will travel, cloaked, with the convoy. Your ship could do the same." she suggested.

Tala agreed, then completely changed the conversation. "So, do you have a man in your life - or are you still a prude?" she questioned with a huge grin.

Kaitlyn looked at the younger woman, "I have found someone special, but it has been difficult." she admitted. She should have known that Tala would question her personal life. Tala always spoke her mind, just like her Father.

"The Admiral would want you to be happy, so do your children." Tala pointed out.

"Perhaps." Kaitlyn leaned closer, "So, have you joined a keth - or are you still unattached?"

Tala laughed loudly, "I finally succumbed to my feelings - after all, who wants to grow old without family?" She glanced at the door, "We joined together less than a year ago - that's why they insisted on coming with me." she explained.

Kaitlyn reached for the younger woman's hand and patted it as she smiled warmly, "Congratulations, Tala."

Tala stood up, "Come, let's go find them. They wanted to be able to meet you personally, they remember the good that you have done for Andoria."

Kaitlyn nodded and they went in search for the group.

Within an hour, the _Aenar_ had arrived and the transfer of the replicator was being secured.

Commander Garov smiled brightly at his Aunt Kaitlyn. "We were all worried about you." he admitted as he watched his crew strap the replicator's crate closed firmly. "We will get the replicator to Ambassador Spock quickly." he promised as the crate was transported to his ship.

"We appreciate your help." Jim shook the Garov's hand. They walked back to the Transporter Room, were Jim Kirk excused himself so Kaitlyn could say goodbye to them in private.

Garov and Tala watched as their fellow crewmembers beamed back to their ships.

Garov hugged Kaitlyn and touched his antennae to her forehead gently, "We have missed you. Please be careful, Aunt Kaitlyn."

Kaitlyn touched his cheek gently and smiled, "You are going to make me cry - and you know how I don't like to show weakness." Garov had always tugged at her heart, he had been such a kind and trusting child and had always sought to make her smile.

Tala popped her younger brother on his back, "Alright, no more sappiness." she indicated for him to move. She turned to Kaitlyn and held out her hand, "To the success of our mission."

Kaitlyn nodded and shook Tala's hand firmly, "Yes, to the success of our missions. Now go on." she shooed them onto the transporter pad. A few moments later, they were gone. She clasped her hands behind her back and stood there for a moment. She turned and faced the young crewman at the transporter controls. "I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't say anything about what you witnessed."

He nodded, "Aye, Ma'am."

She gave him a small smile, then headed back to the Bridge.

XXXXX

1436 - Bridge of the Enterprise

Jim Kirk took a deep breath and tried not to let his nervousness show. They had been travelling for five hours now with the convoy, and they were expecting trouble at any moment. They were seven hours to the rendezvous with the Klingon convoy that would be accepting the Federation supplies. This was around the perfect time for them to be attacked. He stood up and walked over to Uhura, "The convoy reports no problems?" he asked for reassurance.

Lt. Uhura nodded, "The Kraven and the Kumari report no indications of the cloaked ship in their vicinity." she reported.

Jim patted her shoulder, then moved to Spock. "Anything?"

Spock raised an eyebrow, "I will tell you the moment I have any indication of the cloaked ship, Captain." he promised.

Jim nodded and walked over to Kaitlyn. He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, so he was facing her. She, above all, was the calmest person on the Bridge - even more so than Spock. Maybe because she had come up with all of those scenarios and felt she was prepared for whatever happened. He had gotten the distinct impression that she hadn't shown him all of the scenarios she'd come up with.

Kaitlyn looked up at him slowly, she could feel the nervousness radiating off of him. She stood up and touched his arm, "There is nothing to worry about." she stated quietly and projected calmness to him.

Jim Kirk blinked as his nervousness dissipated and calmness washed over him. He immediately knew that she had done this. He stood up and uncrossed his arms and smiled his thanks to her. He watched as she titled her head curiously, like she'd heard something.

Kaitlyn felt something shift around her, like the world had somehow become unbalanced. She glanced at Commander Spock.

Spock sat up from his console, "Captain, we have confirmation of the ship." he stated.

Kirk went to his chair and sat down, he was about to issue an order to Chekov, but before he could utter a word, a green waved washed over the bridge and the crew fell unconscious.

Kaitlyn looked around at all of the unconscious crew. She quickly pulled out the hypo from her pocket and went to Spock and injected it into his bloodstream, then headed for Jim. She heard the familiar whirl of the transporter and grabbed his arm as she put the hypo back in her pocket. She felt the tug of the transporter.

She was pulled down by Kirk's body as he slumped on the ground as they materialized onto another ship. She stood up and quickly took note of her surroundings and the six men around them. She immediately recognized Khan. He stood about five feet before them with an air of authority that she'd never felt before. She stepped around Kirk's unconscious body to shield him. "I demand that you return us to the Enterprise." she said firmly.

Khan's eyes narrowed as he stepped closer and grabbed her throat, "I bow down to no one." he stated calmly as he looked over her features carefully. "Why are you not unconscious?" he questioned. _She looked familiar somehow_.

Kaitlyn held still as she could feel his emotions through his hand around her throat. She concentrated on hearing his thoughts. She gasped as his mind focused on a woman from his past. _Her Mother._

Realization washed over Khan's face and his eyes' glare softened. He loosened his grip on her throat, but kept his hand firmly in place, "You are Trian's daughter."

Kaitlyn mind was reeling - _how could her Mother not mention in her journals that she knew Khan!_ She swallowed hard, "Yes, I am Trian's daughter."

Khan smiled and let her throat go, but he didn't move away from her. He was close enough to feel her warm breath on his chest. "I loved your Mother." he admitted. "Where is she? I'd like to see her again."

Kaitlyn kept her eyes on his, "She was killed when I was four."

Khan's eyes narrowed, "Who killed your Mother - is he still alive?" he demanded an answer.

"He is long dead, by my hands." she said softly. It had been in self defense, but she had been relieved that her Mother's killer had been stopped from harming anymore people.

Khan watched her, then smiled. "You are a good daughter." He noticed the slight shifting of his men and realized he'd been focused on this woman too long. He took a step back, "Where are my manners? I am Khan Noonien Singh - and you are?"

"Commander Kaitlyn Donovan, First Contact Officer of the U.S.S. Enterprise." she stated.

Khan nodded, "Very well, Kaitlyn. My business is not with you - I will have you transported back to the Enterprise."

"As Kirk's elder, I invoke the right to be his counsel." she interjected. In her research of the Eugenic Wars, she had found out many of their feudal-like customs.

Khan laughed, "So, you do know us." He glanced at his men, then back to her, "How can I deny such a beautiful and intelligent woman?" He glanced at Kirk, "Take them to the brig." he ordered his men.

Kaitlyn shook her head as one of them went to pick up Kirk, "I will carry him, just lead the way." She took Jim's arms and pulled him up, then put him over her shoulder in a fireman's carry.

Khan watched as his men led Kaitlyn down the hall. She was very strong. He would have to learn more about her. He turned and headed to his office that held the database Nero gave him to study.

XXXXX

Kaitlyn waited for Khan's men to leave, then she pulled the hypo out of her pocket and pressed it to Jim's neck as he was sprawled out on the cot. She sat down beside him and kept her hand on his chest firmly.

Jim woke up with a start and went to sit up and found he couldn't. His vision cleared and he saw Kaitlyn smile at him. She removed her hand from his chest and he sat up slowly, "Is this Khan's ship?" he asked.

She nodded, "It is Khan, this is an Andorian ship - Tala will not be pleased to learn that bit of information. I invoked the right to be your counsel." she explained.

Jim stood up and walked to the door, "You've talked to him?" he questioned as he surveyed the room, looking for a way to escape. He came back over to her when she hesitated. His eyes narrowed as he saw the bruising around her throat, "He hurt you?"

"Not really." She watched as he breathed a sigh of relief. "Jim, he knew my Mother."

Jim Kirk's face contorted, "How?"

Kaitlyn shrugged, "I don't know, I've read all of her journals and she never mentioned him. I think I may be able to use that in our favor."

Jim frowned, "Don't get yourself in trouble." He felt something in his pants pocket and went to take it out.

Kaitlyn stopped his hand as she stepped closer to him, "Its a transponder, leave it alone." she cautioned.

He grinned, "Just when did you slip that into my pocket?"

"Earlier today, before the Andorians left." she gave him a small smile.

"So, does that mean our friends will be arriving soon?" _That was why she had been so calm on the Bridge._

"Yes, and the convoy with the Enterprise should be safely on their way to meet up with the Klingons to hand off the supplies." Kaitlyn turned and walked over to the door and listened carefully.

"You're sure Spock will stick with the convoy?" Jim questioned. He knew his XO was good to his word, but lately his half-human side had been showing more.

"Commander Spock will get the convoy to the Klingons, then he will catch up with us. Tala will relay our location to the Enterprise." Kaitlyn glanced at Jim as he stood beside her. _She just had to make sure she kept him safe until help arrived._

XXXXX

TBC.

Reviews are greatly appreciated!


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or any of its characters.

Please refer to the Author's notes in Chapter 1.

Thank you to Just a Crazy-Man, Obsessive66, AngelQueen, Ataxia O'Rourke, Kushina98, Emberka-2012, royalpinkdogs, Mike, Ace, Zedoc, Saissa, bonesfan4ever, Furionknight, and clavina for the reviews and all of the readers following this story!

The Ripple Effect

Chapter 19

Khan's vessel

Jim Kirk looked up as the cell door was opened.

Two of Khan's men stepped in, "Come with us." one of them directed.

Jim had Kaitlyn walk beside him as two other guards led them down the hall, with the other two behind them. "Does he think we're going to make a break for it?" he questioned her in a whisper.

Kaitlyn took note of all the cells they passed and the occupants as they were led down the corridor. "Probably. Jim, don't provoke him, and certainly don't let him provoke you." he whispered back.

They were led into the dining room that held a large table with ten chairs. Khan was already seated at the head of the table. They were directed to sit to the right and left of him. It seemed they would be the only ones dinning tonight.

Khan looked over Kirk carefully, "It is good to see you awake, Kirk." he commented.

Jim Kirk smiled sarcastically, "I would have come over willingly, you didn't have to knock me unconscious." he pointed out.

Khan laughed heartily, "I seriously doubt that you would have come over here without protest."

Kirk shrugged - he was probably right.

Kaitlyn leaned forward, "Tell me, Khan - what happened to your other two men? I know that sixteen of you made it out of the stasis units on the Botany Bay." she stated.

Khan smiled slowly and poured the wine for them, "The Klingons do not like to be taken prisoner." he commented. He raised an eyebrow at her as he sat back and took a sip from his glass. "How would you know how many of us there are? I did not realize your hearing was that enhanced."

"I'm observant. I was on the Botany Bay and noted that all of the stasis units had been tampered with - all but sixteen. Nero tampered with them - or did you not realize that? He made sure that there were much fewer of you than them. He made sure your wife was one of them that did not survive, so that you would be angry and he could focus your anger on Kirk." Kaitlyn pointed out.

Khan's eyes narrowed as he felt his anger starting to boil. Then he took note of her expression, she was not at all upset. _She was very good at controlling the situation_. Khan took a deep breath, then smiled. "You are very good - your Mother was not this manipulative."

Kaitlyn shrugged and took a slow sip of the wine - it was actually very good. "Nonetheless, Nero has used you."

Khan looked between Kirk and Donovan, "Regardless, we are all here now and I must decide what to do about the situation. I would be perfectly fine with dropping Kirk off on a deserted planet and seeing if he could survive on his own." he shrugged.

Kirk opened his mouth to protest, but Kaitlyn gave him a look that made him stop. He frowned and sat back in the chair.

Kaitlyn looked at Khan, "As Kirk's counsel, I must protest. You are trying to condemn him of an incident that happened in another universe - over twenty years in the future. Who is to say that it would happened again in this universe?" she questioned.

"To me, it does not matter what universe it was in, or when it happened. It is recorded in history that it happened." Khan shook his head and crossed his arms.

Kirk sat up, "You have this history? You have a database from the other universe?" he questioned quickly.

Khan nodded, "Yes, Nero gave me a database of information."

Kaitlyn was curious, "What else did Nero suggest that you do?"

Khan grinned, "Curiosity killed the cat, Kaitlyn." he reminded her as their dinner plates were put down in front of them. "Please, enjoy your meal." he suggested as he began to cut his steak.

"Khan," Kaitlyn asked softly as she cut her steak, "why did you destroy Starfleet, Klingon, and Andorian ships? Why not just render the crew unconscious and take what you wanted?"

"We took what we needed - but we couldn't spoil the surprise." Khan grinned. He looked at Kirk pointedly, "How did you escape the bomb on the Botany Bay?" he asked.

Kirk shrugged, "I didn't go on the Botany Bay." He glanced at Kaitlyn, "She did, as did Commander Spock."

Khan frowned, in the database he'd read that Jim Kirk always went on the away missions. He looked at Kaitlyn. She did not look injured. "You did not get hurt?" he inquired.

"I had severe bruising on my back, but it healed quickly." Kaitlyn stated.

Khan had read up on Kaitlyn and he was very intrigued. In the other universe, she was still alive when Nero had come to this universe. He began formulating a plan in his mind as they continued to eat silently.

About twenty minutes later, Khan sat back and looked at his two guests. "I have a proposition that you should consider carefully." he began. He looked at Kirk, "I would be willing to allow Kirk to live, if . . " he looked at Kaitlyn, "Kaitlyn stays with me."

Kirk's eyes widened, "No way - she's not staying with you!" he slammed his fist on the table.

Khan was ignoring Kirk's outburst and kept his focus on Kaitlyn. He gave her a small smile. He could tell she was contemplating the offer. He had read up enough about her to realize that she often put other people's safety before her own.

Kaitlyn watched Khan, "And you would stop blowing up ships and taking hostages?" she asked.

Khan nodded.

Kirk frowned at Kaitlyn, "You can't really be considering his offer."

XXXXX

Bridge of the Enterprise

Commander Spock stood up from the Captain's chair. "How long until we reach the coordinates that Commander Tala sent us?" he inquired.

"Twenty minutes." Sulu stated clearly. They were pushing the engines to get there as fast as they could.

Commander Spock nodded, "Lieutenant Uhura, send a message to the Kraven and the Kumari and tell them our estimated arrival time."

"Yes, Sir." Uhura answered and quickly sent the message to the two ships.

Commander Spock had followed the Captain's orders. He had seen to the safety of the convoy. He'd just had three other ships meet them at the half way point and handed them off. He glanced at his chronometer on his wrist. The convoy and their escorts should have arrived at the rendezvous location to hand off the supplies to the Klingons by now.

He looked at Uhura as she cleared her throat quietly. He raised an eyebrow in question.

"The convoy and its escorts have made contact with the Klingon convoy. They are beginning the transfer of supplies." she stated.

Spock nodded, "Very well." Spock glanced at Commander Donovan's empty chair. He briefly wondered what Doctor McCoy had ended up doing. The Doctor had made himself a nuisance on the Bridge a few hours ago. He had started to rant and Spock had quickly shut him down and reminded him that this was Commander Donovan's plan that they were following and they would get to Donovan and Kirk as soon as they possibly could. McCoy had left in a huff.

Commander Spock sat back down in the Captain's chair. "Lieutenant Sulu, prepare to drop out of warp close to the location. Ensign Chekov, keep all weapons at the ready and our shields up." he directed.

"Aye, Commander." they both acknowledged and focused on their tasks.

XXXXX

Khan's vessel

Khan looked up as one of his men approached.

"We have reached the planet." he explained.

Khan smiled and stood up, "Let us go to the Bridge."

Jim and Kaitlyn followed as Khan led the way to the Bridge. Out the viewscreen was a planet much like Vulcan - most of it desert, with only a few areas of water to be seen from this distance.

Kaitlyn glanced at Jim. She knew she had to get him away from Khan. They could come back and rescue Jim from the planet. She turned to give Khan her decision.

Khan's man at the weapon's console cursed, "Sir, our shields are lowering!" he announced.

Khan glared at him, "Get them back up!" he demanded.

The man banged his fists on the console, "I can't!"

Khan whirled around to Kirk and found himself being choked by a Klingon that stood a full head taller than him. Khan tried to break free, but the Klingon would not be deterred.

Khan's men were quickly shot by the other Klingons that had materialized on the Bridge.

"So," Captain Pavok growled, "you are the one that has been destroying Klingon ships." He squeezed Khan's throat tighter, enjoying the sight of the man's eyes bulging. With two swift movements, Pavok crushed Khan's windpipe and snapped his neck. He let go and Khan's dead body dropped to the deck. Pavok stepped over his body and moved to Kirk and Donovan, "Today was a good day." he proclaimed.

Kirk nodded, 'Thank you for your assistance."

Pavok grunted, "I got what I came for. Perhaps we will meet again." He looked across to the turbolift as Commander Tala and two of her Guardsmen stepped onto the Bridge.

Tala glanced at Khan's dead body, then to Pavok. "It was an unexpected pleasure to work with you."

Pavok nodded. He turned to Donovan and stepped closer to her, "Remember your promise." he growled.

Kaitlyn gave him a curt nod, "Of course."

Tala's communicator chirped. She opened it, "Yes?" she questioned.

"Commander Tala, this is Commander Spock, what assistance can we give?" he questioned.

Tala smiled, "The situation is secure. Khan and his men are dead. We have freed the hostages. There are a few injured, if your doctor would care to take a look at them." she stated.

"We will beam aboard momentarily." Spock cut the communication.

Good to his word, he and Doctor McCoy beamed onto the Bridge a few minutes later.

Jim grinned at Leonard McCoy - the man must not have pitched his usual fit about transporting, because they had gotten here fast. Jim went to speak to Spock.

Leonard McCoy looked over Kaitlyn quickly.

She gave him a small smile, "I'm okay. Go check on the others." she suggested and patted his arm gently.

He nodded slowly, but held her hand for a moment and squeezed it gently before he turned and went to heal the injured.

The Klingons left the ship first and promised to stay in the area in case they were needed.

Doctor McCoy checked the Andorian hostages and sent them off to their doctor on the Kumari. He and Captain Jacobs transported back to the Enterprise to take care of the man's injuries.

XXXXX

Andrew Jacobs looked up as the doctor finished healing his broken ribs, "What about my crew, my ship?" he questioned.

Captain Kirk approached Jacobs' bed. Kirk frowned, "Your ship was destroyed. Only twelve of your crew survived."

Captain Andrew Jacobs sighed softly and closed his eyes.

McCoy and Kirk stepped away from the bed to give the man a few moments to himself.

"Is Kaitlyn back yet?" Leonard asked.

"She should be in a few minutes." Kirk patted his friend's arm, then went back to talk with Jacobs.

XXXXX

Kaitlyn shouldered the heavy bag and opened her communicator, "Donovan to Transporter room - I'm ready to beam back."

"One moment, Commander." came Scotty's quick reply.

A few moments later, she materialized on the Enterprise's transporter pad. "Thank you, Mr. Scott." She nodded, then left.

Kaitlyn quickly put the bag away in her quarters, then looked out the window at Khan's ship.

XXXXX

Chekov looked up from the reading on his console, "Commander, we are detecting a build up in the warp core of Khan's ship. It is going to overload in less than three minutes." he stated.

"Can we stop it?" Spock questioned.

"No, Sir." Chekov shook his head.

"Mr. Sulu, take us to a safe distance." Spock quickly picked up his PADD and called up the latest information from Khan's ship. He quickly went to his station and called for the Captain to come to the Bridge.

Kirk looked at Spock questionably when he arrived in less than two minutes.

"The warp core in Khan's ship is overloading and will explode momentarily. We have moved to a safe distance." Spock explained.

"How did this happen?" Kirk demanded.

Spock handed his PADD to the Captain. He watched as the color drained from the Captain's face, then his eyes narrowed.

"Have security bring her to the Conference room." Kirk ordered.

Both men looked at the viewscreen as Khan's ship exploded.

Jim Kirk turned and left the Bridge.

He stood looking out the window with his arms crossed and tried to control his temper. How could Kaitlyn have destroyed the ship! What was he going to tell Starfleet Command?

A few minutes later, the door buzzed.

"Come in." Kirk snapped. He tried to calm down, he'd been trying - but it wasn't working. He looked up as Donovan came in the Conference Room. His eyes narrowed. She didn't look remorseful for her actions, she didn't look a bit upset. She was wearing that same placid expression she use to wear in class every day. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"Jim, I . . "

"Captain. I'm the Captain of this ship - or have you forgotten? Everything that happens on this ship falls on me! Did someone order you to blow up Khan's ship?" he questioned as he held on tightly to the back of his chair as he stood behind it. _Maybe this was some clandestine crap from Starfleet Intelligence, _he hoped.

"No one ordered me to blow up that ship, Captain." she stated and kept her hands clasped behind her back. She knew he'd be upset, but it had to be done. That ship could not be allowed to exist.

Kirk shook his head, "What am I supposed to tell Starfleet Command?"

Kaitlyn lifted her chin slightly, "The truth - I blew up the ship."

Jim frowned, "You are hereby relieved of duty until your Inquiry can take place." He walked over to the door and pressed the button for it to open. "Security will take you to the Brig."

Kaitlyn Donovan nodded, then left with her Security escorts. She had hoped that Jim would have let her explain her actions, but he was young - new to Command and didn't quite have a firm grasp of the depth to which that duty entailed.

She kept her expression even as she walked into the cell and heard the force field go up. She glanced back at the guards and noted their troubled expressions. They didn't understand why she'd blown up the ship either. She'd been in trouble before for doing what was right. She sat down on the bench and waited.

XXXXX

Doctor Leonard McCoy stepped onto the Bridge and frowned when he didn't spot Kaitlyn. He'd suspected that she was here, giving her report of her time on Khan's ship, since she hadn't made her way to Medical to get checked out.

Commander Spock stood up. He realized that he should have contacted the Doctor, and not relied on the Captain the relay what had happened. "Doctor, are you looking for Commander Donovan?" he inquired.

McCoy nodded.

Spock glanced at Sulu, "You have the Bridge."

Sulu nodded, "Aye, Sir."

Commander Spock motioned for McCoy to get back on the lift with him. He did not want the Doctor to 'flip out' on the Bridge - it was most unsettling to the junior officer to witness. "I will take you to her."

McCoy watched as Spock closely, he knew the Vulcan was holding something back from him. "What's wrong?" he questioned.

They stepped off the lift and walked down the corridor. "Commander Donovan blew up Khan's ship, she has been confined to the Brig until her Inquiry." Spock stated.

Leonard McCoy stopped dead in his tracks and looked at the First Officer as if he'd gone mad. "What the hell are you talking about? Why would she blow up the ship?"

Spock clasped his hands behind his back, "I do not know her reason. She did admit to the Captain that she blew the ship up and no one ordered her to do it."

"Haven't you asked her why she did it? I'm sure she has a perfectly good reason!" McCoy yelled.

Spock looked a bit uncomfortable at the stares they were getting from passing crewmen. "Doctor, you must control your outbursts."

"Nobody has asked her?" he hissed. McCoy rolled his eyes and tried to control his temper. _Why hadn't Jim just asked her before putting her in the Brig?_ "I'll ask her." He swiftly headed to the Brig.

Spock caught up with him before the Doctor entered. "Doctor, the Captain has ordered Commander Donovan to have no visitors."

"I'm the CMO and she hasn't been medically checked out yet after being held hostage on that damn ship!" McCoy raised his voice again.

Spock looked at the man squarely, "You are more than just the CMO to her." he pointed out. He raised an eyebrow, "But, you are right - Commander Donovan must be checked for injuries. Perhaps when you are done, you could speak to the Captain. He has already gotten three subspace calls from Starfleet Command. The first was a congratulation call on the rescuing of the hostages and taking care of Khan - the other two have not been pleasant for the Captain." he explained.

McCoy nodded. "I'll see what I can do." he promised the Vulcan. He headed into the Brig and scared the two crewmembers that were on duty. "Turn off that force field so I can go check on my patient!" he barked.

The force field was promptly lowered so he could enter.

Kaitlyn looked up from the bench she was on and sighed softly.

Leonard McCoy walked over and opened his kit and got the scanner out, "Are you doing alright?" he questioned quietly.

She nodded, "I'm okay. I'm sure the Captain is not."

Leonard looked at her questionably, "Captain - when did you go back to calling him that?"

"When he called me out for blowing up Khan's ship. I'm pretty sure I've irrevocably damaged that friendship." she admitted. That was what she felt bad about - that fact that she hadn't told Jim what she was going to do ahead of time. But she couldn't have, or else he'd be in trouble too.

Leonard frowned, "You've got some bruising on your throat - you were choked?"

Kaitlyn nodded as Leonard pulled out a few instruments from his kit, then set to work running the instruments over her to heal the injury. She wondered if she'd damaged her relationship with him. She sat quietly and waited.

He put his instruments away when he finished, then sat down on the bench beside her. Leonard looked over her face carefully, "I take it this is what you meant 'had to be done' when you spoke to Ambassador Spock." he stated. He knew that whatever it was the two had agreed upon wouldn't set well with most people. He figured she would sacrifice her life to make sure Jim survived - that was the impression he'd taken from the conversation. He was glad she didn't have to go to such extremes, but this situation might be just as bad.

Kaitlyn gave him a small smile, "Part of it." she acknowledged.

Leonard nodded as he reached for her hand and held it gently, "So, why don't you tell me why you and the Ambassador thought that ship should be destroyed." he offered to listen to her reasoning.

XXXXX

TBC.

Reviews are greatly appreciated!


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or any of its characters.

Please refer to the Author's notes in Chapter 1.

Thank you to Just a Crazy-Man, Obsessive66, AngelQueen, Ataxia O'Rourke, Kushina98, Emberka-2012, royalpinkdogs, Mike, Ace, Zedoc, Saissa, bonesfan4ever, Furionknight, and mvaneekhout1 for the reviews and all of the readers following this story!

The Ripple Effect

Chapter 20

Office of the President of the United Federation of Planets

President Anazi looked up as Admiral Jonathon Archer came into the room. Hanku Anazi smiled as he stood up out of respect for the former President. "You are looking well, Jonathon."

Jonathon Archer shook the man's hand, "Thank you, Mr. President."

Anazi indicated for him to sit down, "Let's cut to the chase. I know Starfleet Command is upset that First Contact Officer Donovan blew up Khan's ship, but from my point of view and that of many other planets - she's averted a war."

Archer raised an eyebrow, "You've spoken to her?" He doubted it, she was confined to the Brig, last he heard.

"No, but Ambassador Spock came to speak on her behalf." Anazi stated. "I know that Starfleet Intelligence wanted that ship - but, it was an Andorian ship, with an old Klingon cloaking device, and futuristic Romulan technology. Do you think they want their stuff in our hands?" He shook his head, "She did the right thing, now there is nothing to fight about. I have gotten positive messages from the Klingons and the Andorians."

Archer nodded slowly, he knew Kaitlyn would always do what was right - and she was very good at extrapolating situations and consequences.

"I want you to take this and present it to the Command Council." Anazi handed Archer a PADD.

Jonathon Archer smiled as he accepted it, "My position is really just for appearance - you realize that, right?"

Anazi shrugged, "Regardless, they listen to you. They also had another suggestion - another one we agree with." Anazi went on when Archer raised an eyebrow in question. "They suggested that we all study the futuristic Romulan technology together."

"We all study - who is 'we'?" Archer inquired.

"All Federation members, and the Klingons and the Romulans." Anazi smiled.

Jonathon Archer frowned as he sat back in the chair. "The Romulans and the Klingons? Neither of them are exactly the most trustworthy species."

"The theory is that we all study the technology together and we can all be on equal footing. Let's face it, the Romulans know we have the technology - they just haven't called us on it. This is a way to equalize Nero's disruption of this universe." he pointed out.

Archer nodded slowly as he wrapped his mind around the possibilities, "This could truly change everything, for the better. We'd have keep them contained - a ship?" he suggested.

Anazi smiled, "I believe there is a ship almost complete - it is on par with the Enterprise, am I correct?"

Jonathon nodded, "It is ready, and yes - it is as powerful as the Enterprise. I will discuss this with the Command Council this afternoon." He stood up and shook the Federation President's hand. He looked around the office and smiled wistfully, "Sometimes I miss this place."

Hanku Anazi smiled, "It misses you too, old friend." He watched as the older man left. Archer walked a little slower than he use to, but he was still spry. Anazi wondered how the man seemed to not age after eighty. He'd have to ask him next time they met.

XXXXX

Leonard McCoy stepped into the Conference room and immediately noticed the scowl on his friend's face. "Rough day?" he questioned innocently.

Kirk's glare leveled at his friend, "No thanks to Kaitlyn." he pointed out.

Leonard smiled. He took it as a good note that Jim was referring to her as Kaitlyn and not Donovan. "So, what's the problem?"

Jim Kirk rubbed his hands tiredly over his eyes, "First, I get yelled out for half the day because she blew up the ship. Now, they want to give her a Commendation for averting a war!" Jim sat back in the chair and looked over his best friend, "You talked to her?"

Leonard nodded. "You should have let her explain."

Jim half-smiled, "I realized that about five minutes after I sent her down to the Brig. I was mad. She could have told me what she was going to do."

McCoy shook his head, "It would have made you an accomplice. She knew what she was doing - besides, she has a bit of leeway that the rest of us don't have."

"Is she completely pissed at me?" Jim questioned.

Leonard shook his head, "She's afraid that she's effectively severed the friendship you had. She's not mad." He watched as Jim frowned again. "Were you mad earlier because she blew up the ship - or because you hadn't thought of it first?"

Jim looked up and gave his friend a shrug, "Both." he admitted. He chuckled softly, "I guess I know what Pike feels like now - I'm sure he got chewed out because of everything I use to do at the Academy." He sighed softly, "I guess I can expect more ass-chewing as long as she's on board."

Leonard grinned, "I'm sure, but next time you'll let her explain - or whoever else it is that gets you called on the carpet, right?"

Jim Kirk nodded, "Yes, I will let them explain first before I jump to any conclusions." He stood up and popped Bone's arm, "Thanks for coming and having this chat with me old man. I guess I need to go apologize and bust her out of the Brig."

Bones rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Don't think it would be good to give her a Commendation from the Brig - kind of sends a mixed message."

Jim shook his head, "Does she think you're funny? Because I don't get what she sees in you." He quickly left before the doctor could whip out a hypo and inject him with something unpleasant.

XXXXX

Commander Kaitlyn Donovan stood up as the force field was lowered and Captain Jim Kirk stepped in. She took a deep breath and clasped her hands loosely behind her back, "Captain." she nodded and acknowledged his presence.

Kirk looked around at the small room and frowned, "Not very accommodating - is it?"

She raised an eyebrow, "It is not meant to be."

Jim Kirk looked her in the eyes, "I apologize that I didn't let you explain why you blew up the ship. As a Captain, I should have given you that opportunity. As a friend, I should have stood up for you. Instead, I was upset that I hadn't been let in on your plan." He saw her about to interrupt and held his hand up, "I would rather be an accomplice to doing something that's right, then be left in the dark."

Kaitlyn nodded, "I understand. Captain Archer felt the same way when I served on his ship." she admitted.

Jim smiled, "What about your husband?"

Kaitlyn could actually feel herself blushing, "I couldn't keep much from him, and he could always get back at me if I didn't let him in on my plans." She took a deep breath and regained her composure, "I will try and include you in my plans."

Jim Kirk grinned and crossed his arms, "But, you're not making any promises."

She nodded slowly, "I learned a long time ago that you never make a promise you can't guarantee." She'd learned from her mistake during the Romulan War, and she wouldn't ever forget it.

Jim waved for her to leave the Brig, "You know, they're talking about giving you a Commendation for averting a war." he whispered conspiratorially.

Kaitlyn chuckled, "They can't do that - it's just talk." They walked down the corridors and headed for the lift. "Captain, I hope I haven't permanently damaged our friendship."

Jim smiled as he leaned against the lift wall, "The only damage was to my ego, and Bones smoothed that over. I forget that you've been around the block a lot more times than I have - I'll try to remember that." They stepped out of the lift and went into the Dining Hall and went through the line in comfortable silence, then headed to the Senior Officer's table and sat down.

Leonard smiled as Kaitlyn sat down beside him, "So you broke out?"

Kaitlyn glanced at Jim, "I had help."

A few minutes later, the rest of the Senior Officers arrived.

Scotty glanced between Donovan and Kirk to check the level of hostility before he said anything. When he didn't see any red flags, he looked at Kaitlyn pointedly, "You could have told me, Lassie." he whispered across the table.

"She did what she had to and kept us from getting in trouble." Kirk stated as Spock sat down.

Scotty shrugged, "But I probably could've remotely started an overload in the ship's warp core, then she wouldn't have had to go over there and risk her life." he pointed out.

Kaitlyn took a slow sip of her water. She glanced at Jim as he looked at her questionably.

Kirk frowned, _why had she gone over there?_ He looked at Spock as his Executive Officer and First Contact Officer exchanged a look with each other. _Okay, so he'd been left out of something else. _He sighed softly, then continued to eat his pasta. He'd talk to them about it later - now was obviously not the time to bring it up.

Spock raised an eyebrow at Donovan when the Captain sighed and went back to eating.

Kaitlyn gave him a slight nod that she'd discuss it with them later. She should have known that Spock would have reviewed the security footage of her beaming back to the Enterprise carrying that large bag. She frowned, she should have wiped the footage as soon as she got back to the ship. But, maybe she subconsciously wanted to get caught bringing back what she had. She'd been in the Intelligence business long enough to know that just because something was blown up, didn't mean something couldn't be salvaged. She couldn't let the database of information from the other universe to get into anyone's hands. _Anyone_ - including Starfleet. She'd retrieved it to give to Ambassador Spock, he would know what to do with it.

Leonard watched the exchange curiously, but didn't say anything. "So, where are we headed to now?"

Spock lifted his head, "We are heading to the site of the reported spatial anomaly, then we will head to the nearest Star base to deliver the technology we acquired recently." he explained.

"Aye - hopefully this anomaly won't be anything too bad." Scotty sighed, but knowing their luck - it wouldn't be something simple.

XXXXX

Leonard came into her quarters after he went back to Medical to check on Jacobs. He smiled as she patted the couch and indicated for him to sit down with her.

Kaitlyn turned on the couch and tucked her feet under her. She smiled as he ran his hand through her hair. "Is Andrew doing okay?"

"His injuries will heal soon - I'm surprised you didn't go down to see him after dinner." He watched her carefully.

Kaitlyn shrugged, "I had to talk to Jim and Spock."

Leonard raised an eyebrow, "So - what did you smuggle off that ship?" he guessed the reason why she had gone to the ship herself.

"Nero gave Khan a database from the other universe. I had to retrieve it before it fell into the wrong hands." she sighed softly.

"That's understandable - I'm sure it has a lot of information that could instigate a war or two, or at least a few more vendettas." he nodded as he pulled her closer and kissed her forehead.

Kaitlyn closed her eyes and frowned - that was the conclusion that Jim and Spock had jumped to. She pulled back and shook her head slowly. She reached for his hand and held it gently as she rubbed her thumb along his wrist. "I know more than anyone, other than Ambassador Spock, about the other universe. I also understand that knowing about yourself in the other universe is very troubling. Look what happened to Khan." she pointed out. "There are a lot of things that could cause personal turmoil in people, if they learned about their counterpart. Ambassador Spock did tell me a few things about myself when I pressed him for information. I shouldn't have." She shook her head again. She had been deeply affected by what he'd told her, but she tried not to give any indication - and tried not to let it impact her life here.

Leonard tilted her chin so she'd look at him, "What did he tell you that got you so shook up?" He'd never seen her like this - she looked unsettled.

"Evidently, I never got over the loss of my husband. I never let anyone get too close to me again. Never depended on anyone again." Kaitlyn took in a shaky breath. "An excellent Ambassador - able to smooth talk politicians and alien species alike, but never close to anyone."

Leonard looked confused, "But, wasn't Ambassador Spock your friend?"

"A close colleague, a mentor - nothing more." She looked up at Leonard, "I don't want to become that woman." she admitted quietly.

Leonard gave her a small smile, "You won't. You've got friends here. _You_ are different. Whatever happened over there, evidently didn't happen here - you've gone down different paths." He nodded, "I think you're right - you need to keep it out of everyone's hands. But, what are you going to do with it?"

"Ambassador Spock is coming with Admiral Archer and a few others to meet us at the Star base. I'll ask for his suggestion on how do irrefutably destroy it."

Leonard kissed her lips gently, "I think we should turn in. I also think that you should speak to Jacobs in the morning - I know he considers you a friend and I think talking to you would do him a world of good." he prescribed as he stood up and tugged her gently to follow.

She stopped him before he moved to turn the covers down on the bed. "I appreciate you." She bit her lip gently - that sounded stupid. "I care for you deeply and I don't want to lose what we have."

He nodded and stroked her chin, "I am happy with what we have right now, but maybe - when we've both dealt with our own demons, maybe we'll move on to something more."

Kaitlyn smiled and pushed him back onto the bed, then moved over him. "I missed you last night."

He raised an eyebrow as she proceeded to take his shirt off of him, "Really?"

She ran her hands over his chest ever so gently, "Yes, I did." She smiled as he ran his hands under her shirt and pulled her closer to him.

XXXXX

Leonard felt Kaitlyn snuggle closer, then he suddenly felt himself sliding quickly off the bed and being dumped on the floor with a thud. "What the hell was that?" he rolled off of Kaitlyn and made sure she was okay as she jumped up.

She was quickly pulling on her uniform, "The emergency inertial dampeners." She frowned as she put her socks and boots on. She glanced back and saw Leonard right behind her as they raced to the Bridge.

"What's wrong?" McCoy demanded as soon as the lift door opened.

Spock glanced back at them, then put his focus back to the viewscreen. "We have found the anomaly."

The screen was a purplish color and showed a giant swirling mass in front of the ship, it looked like a whirlpool.

Kirk was the next one that exited the lift. He quickly glanced at the screen, "Are we in danger?" he questioned.

"Not at the moment, Captain. We are taking extensive scans at the moment." Spock headed to his station. He frowned at the readings, "Captain, I am reading indications of detonated red matter." He was puzzled.

"Red matter - here?" Kirk turned quickly to his Science Officer. _What the hell?_

Spock stood up slowly, "No, Captain - not here. The indications are from the other side of this anomaly." he stated.

Kirk glanced at Spock, "Another opening from the other universe?"

XXXXX

TBC.

Reviews are greatly appreciated!

For a look at what's happening in the Prime Universe when Spock comes into this one with Nero - check out Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Other Side of the Ripple Effect.


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or any of its characters.

Please refer to the Author's notes in Chapter 1.

Thank you to Just a Crazy-Man, Obsessive66, AngelQueen, Ataxia O'Rourke, Kushina98, Emberka-2012, royalpinkdogs, Mike, Ace, Zedoc, Saissa, bonesfan4ever, Furionknight, and mvaneekhout1 for the reviews and all of the readers following this story!

The Ripple Effect

Chapter 21

Captain James T. Kirk looked at the swirling spatial anomaly before their ship again, then glanced at Commander Spock.

Spock straightened up from his station, "Captain, a probe is coming out of the anomaly." he reported.

"Scan the probe." Kirk ordered as Donovan and McCoy stood beside him.

"A welcoming present?" Bones questioned quietly.

Jim frowned and crossed his arms. They didn't need any more problems.

Uhura looked up from her station, "Captain, the probe is sending out a signal."

"Spock?" Kirk inquired as the Vulcan quickly went to the Communication station and analyzed the signal.

"Sir, it is directions on how to close the anomaly from this side. Evidently the universe on the other side is experiencing time and spatial disruptions because of this opening." Spock explained.

Kirk looked at Donovan.

Kaitlyn looked at Spock, "Is the other universe the one which Ambassador Spock came from?" she questioned.

Spock looked back over the information from the probe, "Yes, but almost a decade prior to his departure - the ripple is evidently travelling backwards through their time."

Kaitlyn nodded slowly as she quickly calculated the variables. She looked at Kirk, "Give me ten minutes. Lieutenant Uhura, please connect me to the U.S.S. Daystrom in the Conference room." she left before anyone could question her.

Kaitlyn strummed her fingers on the table as she waited for the connection to go through.

"Commander Donovan, the Daystrom is on the comm." Uhura stated.

"Thank you." Kaitlyn nodded as the screen changed to the Bridge of the Daystrom.

Admiral Archer stood up from the command chair, "Commander, what's wrong?" he questioned.

She quickly explained the anomaly and the probe. "I need to speak to Ambassador Spock, Admiral."

"I am here, Kaitlyn." Ambassador Spock said as he came into view from off screen. "I know what you are going to ask and the answer is no. I can not go back. Even if I survived going through the anomaly, it is a decade before I left - I am still there and I would only contaminate another timeline. I must stay here, as much as I wish I could return." he stated.

Kaitlyn nodded slowly then phrased her next question carefully, "The item I mentioned last night - would it be irrefutably destroyed if it was sent into the anomaly?" she inquired.

Ambassador Spock raised an eyebrow, "It should be erased prior to its launch - between the erasure and the anomaly, it will be destroyed. I suggest that you send their probe back before you seal the anomaly."

"Thank you, Ambassador Spock." Kaitlyn turned to Admiral Archer, "Permission to seal the anomaly?"

Archer nodded, "Permission granted. Have Enterprise take all of the readings that you can. I'm sure we have some scientists that will want to comb through all of the data. See you at the Star base once you get everything taken care of there. Archer out."

Kaitlyn headed over to Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. "We have permission to seal the anomaly, but I need to take care of the item first."

Kirk nodded, "Put it in a torpedo tube?" he suggested.

Spock nodded and turned to Donovan, "It will only take a few minutes, Captain. Doctor McCoy, I suggest you come with us to supervise the launching."

Leonard frowned, "I'm a baby sitter now?" he questioned as he followed them on to the lift.

XXXXX

Spock and Donovan were back on the Bridge in fifteen minutes. They walked over to his station and read the other information from the probe. Spock lifted an eyebrow and glanced at Kaitlyn, "Evidently, Commander - you are on board the ship on the other side of this anomaly, as is Ambassador Spock." he stated quietly.

Kaitlyn sighed softly as she contemplated the woman that Ambassador Spock said she'd become. She watched as he typed in a message to the probe. "Can I send a message?" It was unorthodox, but she had to try.

He stepped back and watched her type in the message.

K.D. - It's okay to move on. Learn from the past, live in the present, and always look to the future. ~ K.D.

"A most curious message - it is significant?" Spock questioned.

"Yes, it was something my Mother told me a very long time ago." Kaitlyn smiled wistfully.

Spock turned to Kirk, "Captain, we are ready to send the probe in, then the torpedo tube. I have the ship's systems recalibrated to emit the burst needed to seal the anomaly from this side."

"Very well, Mister Spock." Jim nodded for Spock to proceed.

The probe was sent back through the anomaly, a few moments later the torpedo tube was sent through. Five minutes later, they used the Enterprise to seal the anomaly.

After a few minutes, the anomaly collapsed in on itself and vanished.

"Captain, I suggest we leave a beacon and a probe to take further reading of the area." Spock said as he read over the scans of the area.

Kirk nodded, "I don't guess we'll ever know if things went back to normal for them." he said quietly to Donovan.

She shrugged slightly.

Jim Kirk looked at the viewscreen once more, "Sulu, head for the Star base. Uhura, inform the Daystrom that the anomaly has been sealed and we are on our way."

XXXXX

Next day, docked at the Star base

Kaitlyn Donovan walked slowly into the Cargo Bay on the Enterprise. She'd gotten a message from Admiral Vincent for her to meet him.

Admiral Vincent walked into the Cargo Bay slowly and smiled at all of the advanced technology in the room. "You did a good job recovering all of this for us, Kaitlyn. Unfortunately, I can't allow all of this technology to be studied by everyone - we have to keep the advantage." he shrugged.

Kaitlyn shook her head as she indicated the worn book in her hand, "All of these years - you've been buying Nero's technology."

Vincent raised an eyebrow, "What do you have there?" he questioned.

"Velor's record book - with your name in it over and over again." she stated.

Vincent shrugged, "You could easily have fabricated it." He pulled out a phaser and aimed it at her, "Besides, who's going to believe you - the alien amongst us?"

"I have not lied about my heritage, it was just classified a long time ago. Besides, they'll believe Velor - he came with us."

Admiral Vincent took a step closer to her, but he stopped when a phaser touched his head.

"Put down the weapon." Kirk ordered.

Vincent glanced at Kirk, then McCoy as he stepped out beside Donovan and aimed his weapon at the Admiral. Vincent dropped the weapon and was quickly taken into custody by Security.

XXXXX

Leonard McCoy paced outside the Star base's large Conference room. An emergency meeting was being held to discuss the latest events.

"Doctor McCoy, it will not speed up the meeting the more you pace." Commander Spock pointed out from the bench he sat upon.

McCoy came over and sat down heavily beside him, "How can you be calm?"

"I am not worried about the outcome of this meeting - what happens, happens." Spock stated.

McCoy was about to start ranting again when the doors opened and a slew of Admirals came out. He stood up quickly.

Jim Kirk came out and walked over to his friends. He indicated for them to follow him.

"What's going to happen? Where's Kaitlyn?" Leonard questioned.

Jim held onto Leonard's arm to calm him down, "She's meeting with Admiral Archer, she said she'll met us at the Officer's Club in just a little bit."

XXXXX

Kaitlyn sat back in the chair and smiled at Jonathon Archer. He'd actually gotten the Command Council to agree to the collective study of the technology. "Where?" she questioned.

"On the U.S.S. Daystrom. They are in the process of transferring everything from the Enterprise now." Archer explained. "The Federation President announced the initiative today. All of the member planets and the Klingons and Romulans will have four members on board the ship." he glanced at their companion at the table beside her.

Robert Reed nodded, "We will be vetting each candidate carefully." He watched as she nodded. "Mother, the other Federation members want you on the Daystrom."

Kaitlyn sat back and looked between the two men. _So, that's what this meeting had been about._ "I'm stationed on the Enterprise." she said softly. She didn't want to leave the ship, and she certainly didn't want to leave Leonard.

Jonathon Archer nodded, "It will only be for a few months, until everyone is situated." he explained.

Robert could see her uneasiness, "Mother, they want you because they know you and trust you. You _are_ the one that suggested this." he pointed out.

She did persuade Ambassador Spock that this was a logical way to diffuse the situation. She nodded slowly, "For a few months." she agreed. She sighed and changed the subject, "Did Admiral Vincent say why he sent people after me on the Enterprise?"

Archer frowned, "He said he needed to find out what the Romulans learned from you, but they didn't learn anything more than what was in your report."

"And the tracking device?" she inquired.

Robert sat back, "He said he's looking for someone - and that you might come across him."

"Who?" Kaitlyn raised an eyebrow.

"John Harrison." Robert stated simply. He glanced at his Mother, "Did you bring the blood samples and scans of Khan and his men?" he inquired.

Kaitlyn frowned and handed the PADD to her son, "Robert, what's wrong?"

Robert Reed shook his head as he put the PADD in his jacket pocket, "Nothing, just a possible complication. I'm sure it will be fine." he smiled tiredly and tried to put her at ease. He was tired of the complications that fell upon him when someone else in the organization screwed up.

XXXXX

Officer's Club

"What do you mean she's being transferred?" Bones bellowed, causing quite a few patrons to turn and see what the commotion was all about.

Jim Kirk glared at his friend to get him to calm down, "Its temporary - just until everyone gets settled in."

Leonard huffed, "Who's going to be the Captain?"

"Andrew Jacobs. Look, the Admirals assured me she'll be back."

Leonard closed his eyes tightly, "Sure." he muttered.

"Don't start getting all crabby." Jim said as the waitress came over and took their orders.

XXXXX

Star base Promenade

Admiral Archer, Robert Reed, and Kaitlyn Donovan headed to the Officer's Club to meet with the Enterprise's Senior Staff.

"Kaitlyn, I can't reiterate how important it is that this interspecies cooperation on the Daystrom succeeds." Jonathon Archer said quietly.

Kaitlyn smiled, "You don't have to remind me." She quickly turned to her left when she heard the firing of a weapon.

Jonathon Archer quickly stepped in front of her, then his body slammed into her.

Kaitlyn caught him as his slid down to the ground and she saw Robert shoot the attacker.

Chaos erupted on the promenade as people scattered for cover.

Kaitlyn quickly pressed both of her hands at the gaping wound in his chest as blood rushed out with each heart beat. "Get McCoy!" she yelled to Robert. She leaned over Jonathon Archer and focused on projecting calmness to him. "Stay with me."

His breathing was becoming ragged quickly. He reached up and held onto her right hand, "It's okay, Kaitlyn." he said in short gasps.

"No, it's not!" she argued. She didn't want him to die - he didn't need to die. _It wasn't okay!_

Jonathon Archer's vision began to blur, "Tell Trip I'll miss him."

Kaitlyn could feel his heart beat slowing beneath her hands. His emotions and thoughts were pouring out to her and she could feel her own emotional controls start to break down.

Jonathon had a moment of clarity, "Do what you have to do . . . to make the Daystrom succeed."

Kaitlyn nodded, "I will." she promised as a steady stream of tears started to run down her cheeks.

His hand's grasp loosened its hold on her hand and fell away to the floor.

"Jonathon!" she yelled as his eyes closed and his heart stopped beating.

A hand gently clasped her shoulder, "I'm sorry, Kaitlyn." Leonard said quietly as he kneeled beside her.

She hadn't even noticed his arrival, or the fact that he'd been scanning Admiral Archer.

Leonard frowned. There had been nothing he could do. The damage had been directly to the Admiral's heart and the surrounding arteries. His blood had been pooling out from every crevice that had been damaged.

Kaitlyn removed her hands and sat back and flinched as she noticed all of his blood on her, her uniform, and the floor beneath his body.

Leonard turned to Jim, "Get her back to the Enterprise."

Jim nodded and quietly led her away from the scene.

"Kaitlyn!" Trip yelled as he came down the corridor from the docking port with Ambassador Spock close behind him. Trip quickened his pace, then slowed as he noticed all of the blood. "Are you okay?" he asked and touched her arm gently.

Kaitlyn shook her head, "I couldn't save Jonathon. I'm sorry, Trip." she said quietly.

Trip frowned slightly and glanced at Kirk questionably.

Ambassador Spock stopped beside Kaitlyn, "Captain Kirk, I will take Kaitlyn to the Enterprise, if you could take Admiral Kenmore to Admiral Archer."

Kirk nodded, "Kaitlyn, I'll come by and see you in just a little while."

Kaitlyn turned and walked with Ambassador Spock slowly. They walked silently for a few moments. She stopped walking as her mind finally caught up and processed everything that had happened. "He was aiming at me." Kaitlyn realized.

Ambassador Spock watched as a gambit of emotions crossed her face, "Kaitlyn, you would have done the same for him - in fact, you have before." he pointed out.

She nodded slowly. She had taken a phaser blast that had been aimed at him - right before the signing of the Federation Treaty.

Ambassador Spock led her gently by the arm through the docking port to the Enterprise and to her quarters. "Admiral Archer had told me on the trip here that the other Federation members wanted you on the Daystrom. He knew they needed you now." He pushed the button for the door to open. He looked at her closely, "The needs of the many . . ."

She pulled her arm from his grasp, "Don't - don't finish that statement. I don't want to hear it right now."

Ambassador Spock bowed his head slightly, "I did not mean to upset you, Kaitlyn."

Her hands started to shake, "I'm sorry - my emotions have been compounded by Jonathon's and I need to sort them out."

"I offer my help, once you are ready." Ambassador Spock offered.

Kaitlyn indicated the candle for meditation on the coffee table, "Thank you. I'll be back in a few minutes." she said and quickly headed into the bathroom.

She closed the bathroom door and clutched her chest as she slid down the door and started to sob uncontrollably. She didn't know how long she'd been on the floor, but she sat up tiredly when there was a knock on the door.

Leonard came in and kneeled down beside her. He tucked her hair behind her ear and sighed softly, "Sweetheart, you've got to get cleaned up."

She nodded and allowed him to help her stand up.

Leonard turned on the shower, then gently helped her out of her uniform. He helped her get all of the blood off of her hands, arms, and legs, then washed her hair out. He stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her, then himself. "I'll be right back with some clothes - just stay right there." he directed her, knowing that she was still out of sorts.

He came back and helped her change into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, then led her to Ambassador Spock. Leonard didn't know what he could do to help her.

Ambassador Spock sat down on the floor in front of Kaitlyn. He glanced at McCoy, "This may take awhile." he pointed out as the man sat down on the couch.

"I'm not going anywhere." Leonard stated firmly.

Ambassador Spock nodded, then reached up and touched Kaitlyn's face gently.

XXXXX

1700 - Donovan's quarters on the Enterprise

Kaitlyn woke up slowly and winced as she felt the headache already pounding in her head. She closed her eyes tightly as she remembered that Jonathon Archer had been shot.

The bed beside her dipped slightly and a hand gently brushed her face. "Headache bad?" Leonard asked her quietly.

She nodded and opened her eyes. She covered her arm over her eyes to keep the light from making her headache worse.

Leonard quickly administered a pain reliever into her blood stream and watched as the tension in her face relaxed. "Better?"

"A little. How long did I sleep?" she questioned.

"Twelve hours." he glanced around the room and frowned.

Kaitlyn sat up slowly and realized that all of her belongings were in boxes. She looked at him questionably.

Leonard shrugged dejectedly, "The Daystrom is leaving in eighteen hours back to Earth."

Kaitlyn touched his face gently and took a deep breath. She didn't think she'd have so little time with him when she agreed to the transfer. "Thank you for packing for me."

He tried to smile, "I was hoping to spend some quality time with you, instead of watching you pack." he admitted.

Kaitlyn kissed him gently, "Can you take eighteen hours off?"

Leonard pulled her closer and grinned, "I didn't give Jim a choice."

XXXXX

2032 - Star base Officer's Club

Jim watched as Bones kept his arm around the back of Kaitlyn's chair. He knew his friend was going to have a rough couple of months. Jim smiled at Kaitlyn, "I'll try to keep him out of trouble."

Kaitlyn glanced at Jim, "And who's going to look after you?" she inquired. She looked around the table at Spock, Scotty, and Leonard.

"We will." Leonard reassured her and rubbed her shoulder gently.

Kaitlyn nodded slowly.

Spock stood up, "If you will excuse me, I must take over the evening shift on the Bridge. Commander, I look forward to your return to the Enterprise. May your journey on the Daystrom be enlightening and productive."

Kaitlyn stood up and smiled, "Thank you, Commander Spock." She raised her hand, "Live Long, and Prosper."

Spock return the gesture, "Peace, and Long Life."

Kaitlyn sat back down as Spock left. She gave Scotty a small smile as the man watched her, his eyes grew soft. "Admiral Kenmore said he really enjoyed the tour of Engineering you gave him."

Scotty grinned, "I bet he was a great Chief Engineer."

Kaitlyn nodded, "That he was. At least he'll get to tinker with the engines on the Daystrom - he's agreed to stay on for awhile." she told them.

"What about Ambassador Spock?" Jim questioned.

"After we get back to Earth, he will be going to New Vulcan." Kaitlyn explained as she closed her eyes. She was still tired after the Mind Meld, still felt a bit sluggish from her overload of emotions.

"How long until the Daystrom heads out?" Kirk asked, trying to calculate how long she was really going to be gone. He didn't think it would be just a few months, he was thinking more like six.

"Three weeks." she looked at Kirk and shrugged.

Jim took a deep breath and stood up. He stretched out his hand, "Get them settled and get back to the Enterprise."

Kaitlyn stood up and shook his hand firmly, "I will get them squared away as quick as possible."

Scotty gave her a quick bear hug, "Don't go gettin' yourself in a heap of trouble over there, lassie. The Doc here is gonna be grumpy as hell until you return safely." he whispered so only she could hear him.

Kaitlyn nodded as she stepped back, "I'll miss you too, Scotty." She watched as the two men headed to the bar down the promenade. She glanced at Leonard, "Your place, or mine?"

"Actually, Ambassador Spock got us a Suite here on the Star base." Leonard McCoy grinned sheepishly. He squeezed her hand gently as they walked to the lift.

Kaitlyn raised an eyebrow, "He did, did he?"

XXXXX

0437 - Star base

Kaitlyn looked out the window of the Suite at the Daystrom. It looked very similar to the Enterprise. But, it was going to be very different on the inside once they figured out how to install the advanced technology. She glanced down at the PADD in her hand as another personnel file came in. Starfleet Command was sending her each of the crewmember files and each candidate's file as soon as they could. She clicked on the icon, then grinned. Commander Tala was going to be joining the Daystrom. This could be very interesting.

She clicked on another message from Robert. It detailed more information about the shooter and the fact he'd worked for Vincent, and was trying to stop the collective study of technology by killing her. Kaitlyn frowned. Her son had sent her quite a bit of information over the past twelve hours, but none of it mentioned what Vincent was doing with all of the technology he bought, or what Robert wanted with the blood samples and scans of Khan and his men. She knew something wasn't right, but she knew Robert wasn't going to tell her anymore than he could. She wasn't active in Section 31 anymore, therefore she wasn't privy to all that he knew. She hoped he'd taken the necessary precautions to protect himself from those whose morals were questionable. She sighed softly as she turned off the PADD. She turned around to get back in bed and found Leonard watching her.

"Couldn't sleep?" he asked as she set the PADD on the table, then walked over to the bed.

Kaitlyn pulled the cover back and laid down beside him, "Couldn't go back to sleep. I kept hearing the vibration of the PADD going off." She patted his chest and shrugged.

"Personnel files?" he guessed as he ran his hand over her hip, then her backside. He moved over her and kissed the hollow of her throat.

She was sure that he really didn't care what was being sent to her PADD at the moment. She ran her hands over his shoulders as he kissed her lips hungrily.

He sighed and ran his hand through her hair and watched her carefully.

Kaitlyn could tell the train had just jumped the tracks they'd been going on, "Is there something on your mind?" she questioned softly.

"I want to give you something before you go."

Kaitlyn grinned mischievously, "Like what?" she ran her hands over his stomach, wanting to get him back into a playful mood, and out of this serious one.

"I'm not playing, Kaitlyn." Leonard stopped her hands and held them gently. He leaned over and opened the nightstand drawer and handed her a picture frame. "It's the only one with the two of us I could get my hands on."

She turned the frame over and looked at the photo. It was the two of them after he'd been promoted to Commander. They were both smiling at each other as she touched his chest and the lighting was just about perfect. "Thank you." she whispered. She looked at him and frowned, "I don't have anything to give you."

Leonard pulled her closer, "You coming back to Enterprise is all I want."

XXXXX

0955 - Enterprise Bridge

Jim Kirk glanced back at the lift doors from his Command chair as they opened. He nodded to McCoy as he stood up. Not unsurprisingly, his friend was a bit despondent. "Come to see them off?"

McCoy nodded and looked out the viewscreen at the Daystrom as it pulled away from the Star base.

A few moments later, the Daystrom warped away.

McCoy glanced around the Bridge and noted the looks he was getting. He puffed himself up, "I guess I'd better be heading back to Medical - someone's got to work around here." he turned and left the Bridge.

Jim smiled as soon as the lift doors closed.

Spock came over and stood beside him, "You look like the cat that ate the canary, Captain." he noted.

Jim grinned, "I promised Kaitlyn that I'd keep our good doctor occupied."

Spock's eyebrows rose, "What have you done?" he inquired.

Jim sat back down in his Command chair and crossed his legs, then shrugged nonchalantly, "I may have given Medical a paint job."

Spock clasped his hands behind his back and tilted his head slightly, "Captain, if my calculations are correct, Dr. McCoy should have already arrived to Medical and is most likely on his way back to the Bridge."

Jim stood up quickly, "You have the Bridge Commander Spock." he raced out the side door as the lift chimed that it was about to open.

XXXXX

Reviews are greatly appreciated!

I hope you have enjoyed reading _The Ripple Effect_. The next story, _Broken Remnants,_ will begin soon after _Star Trek: Into Darkness_ comes out.


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or any of its characters.

Please refer to the Author's notes in Chapter 1.

Thank you to Just a Crazy-Man, Obsessive66, AngelQueen, Ataxia O'Rourke, Kushina98, Emberka-2012, royalpinkdogs, Mike, Ace, Zedoc, Saissa, bonesfan4ever, Furionknight, mvaneekhout1 and IrishBug74 for the reviews and all of the readers following this story! Over 10,000 views, I'm very humbled that this story has done so well. I hope you'll enjoy it's continuation, _Broken Remnants_, which will begin soon.

A/N: I decided that I had to add an Epilogue to this story to bring it up to the new movie. Hope you enjoy!

The Ripple Effect

Epilogue

Leonard McCoy leaned back at his desk and propped his feet up on the desk in Medical on the _Enterprise_ as he looked back at the monitor. "Do you know how long it's been?" he questioned.

Kaitlyn Donovan sat back in her chair and watched his image on her monitor, "Ten months, three weeks, and seventeen hours - not that I'm counting." She shrugged and sighed softly as she sat in the Conference room of the _Daystrom_.

Leonard's face contorted, "A few months my ass! When will you be coming back to the _Enterprise_?" he questioned as he tried to contain his gnawing frustration.

Kaitlyn smiled slowly, "Actually, we will be meeting up with you in a month."

Leonard dropped his feet off the desk and leaned closer to the monitor in disbelief, "Are you kidding me? Because if you are, it's not funny!"

"I'm not joking - we got the orders this morning. We are heading back to Earth to switch out some crew, then we will meet up with you and I'll transfer back to the _Enterprise_." she explained the subspace call she'd received earlier in the morning from Starfleet Command.

Leonard McCoy gave her a small smile - he was ecstatic, but he'd learned over the past ten months not to count your chicks until they've hatched. They'd been promised before of her transfer, and those promises hadn't panned out. He decided to play it safe, "I miss you." he admitted.

Kaitlyn understood his reigned in mood, "I've missed you too, Leonard." She tried to relax, but the events on her ship from the past week had worn on her. "What have you been up to?" she questioned.

"Well, we ran into a real character - his name was Mudd. It was a mess, but we got a small ship out of it." he shrugged. "On that note," Leonard quipped, "what happened that you couldn't call last week?" He watched as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "What's wrong with your shoulder again?" He started to get that unsettling feeling again in the pit of his stomach.

"We had a virus sweep through the ship that caused the crew to become violent. I'll transmit Doctor Kor's findings to you as soon as I can." she stated.

Leonard sat stiffly, "Is everyone ok now?"

Kaitlyn shook her head slowly, "No, seven crewmembers died and we have many more injured - that's the reason we're heading back." She looked up as the Conference room door opened.

The young female Yeoman burst in and looked like a deer caught in the headlights, "Captain, Starfleet Command is sending you another Priority message." she said quickly in one breath.

Kaitlyn frowned at the title, "Tell Lieutenant Hotch to patch it through to me in here as soon as I finish this call." she directed.

"But, it's a Priority One message." Yeoman Robins bit her lower lip - _shouldn't the Captain answer the call immediately?_ She was still unsure of the new job she'd been promoted to a few days ago.

"I understand that. There's a door for a reason, and we have a comm system for a reason - you don't have to come running to find me, call me over the comm." Kaitlyn tried to reassure the young woman.

"Yes, Ma'am - I'm sorry that I interrupted you." Yeoman Robins quickly left.

Kaitlyn glanced back at the monitor and frowned, Leonard was looking at her questionably.

"Captain?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Acting Captain - just until Andrew wakes up from his medically induced coma, he had to have a lot of surgery from his injuries." she tried to make the situation not sound as bad as it really was.

"What happened to the First Officer?" Leonard remembered her saying that she never wanted to be a Captain and he wondered how in the hell she'd ended up in the situation.

"He was killed by another member of the crew." Kaitlyn glanced at the monitor as the icon began blinking - indicating the Priority One message on hold, waiting for her to answer. She sighed softly, "It's a long story - and not a pleasant one. I'll send you a message with the findings from Doctor Kor later today - I promise."

Leonard nodded slowly, "I look forward to reading it. Take care of yourself and get another hypo for that shoulder. I'll call you tomorrow after I've had a chance to review Kor's findings." He didn't want to end the conversation, but he knew she had that call from Starfleet Command waiting.

Kaitlyn smiled, "Talk to you tomorrow." She ended the transmission with Leonard and then clicked on the one from Starfleet Command.

XXXXX

Thirty minutes later, Kaitlyn came out of the Conference room and was immediately barraged when she stepped on the Bridge by Yeoman Robins.

The young woman looked at the PADD in her hands, "Ma'am, you have a meeting with Doctor Kor in ten minutes, then at 1100 you have a demonstration in Engineering and at 1300, you have a meeting with the Science Department for an update on the latest subspace scans."

Kaitlyn nodded, "Thank you, Robins. I'll need you to come with me to Medical. Starfleet Command wants an updated list of the crewmembers and the treatment Doctor Kor recommends for them once we get to Earth - I want you to get that list together."

"Yes, Ma'am." Robins quickly acknowledged and followed Kaitlyn into the lift as they headed to Medical.

They entered Medical and headed to Doctor Kor.

The large Klingon had on his white lab coat and looked up from his PADD as they approached. He quickly took note of the way the Captain was walking, "Is your shoulder bothering you again?" he questioned roughly.

"Yes, I just need a hypo." Kaitlyn said as she surveyed the patients in the beds.

"I will decide what you need, Captain." Doctor Kor pointed to an available bio bed for her to get on.

Kaitlyn knew well enough not to argue with the Chief Medical Officer. She got on the bed and waited as he ran the scanner over her. She glanced at Yeoman Robins, "Why don't you get a list of the patients from Nurse Davies." she suggested.

Robins quickly headed to the nurse across the room.

Kor gave her a toothy grin, "Are you tired of your Yeoman already?" he inquired.

Kaitlyn shook her head, "She will do fine, once she gets into a routine. I'm the one who's tired." she admitted.

Kor frowned, "Did you not sleep well?" He clicked his scanner to another option and ran it over her again.

"I've never had the desire to be a Captain of a Starship. It's a lot to undertake when I still have to do my duties as the First Contact Officer. I keep waking up when I remember things that I need to check on." Kaitlyn had grown rather fond of the Klingon doctor - probably because he had a very similar bedside manner to Leonard.

Kor watched her thoughtfully as he closed the scanner, "It is a responsibility to which we elevated you to. This is a unique ship, and in the past ten months you have handled many difficult conflicts between us. You are sleep deprived. Do you have many things to attend to today?"

She shrugged, "Something always needs my attention."

"After you have had dinner, I will give you something to help you sleep tonight. If you don't feel better in the morning, we'll look into some other options." Kor stated, then administered a pain reliever for her shoulder. "Let me take you around to the patients and give you an update on their conditions."

XXXXX

Kaitlyn headed to Engineering and smiled as the turbolift doors opened and Trip Tucker grinned. She stepped in the lift and smiled, "How are you doing Admiral?" she questioned.

"Doing great. I know that Sorek and the Engineering team are anxious to show you their simulated runs of the trans-warp drive." he rocked on his heels in anticipation. The team headed by the Vulcan Chief Engineer had been working for months on the drive.

She glanced at her friend - get him around an engine and he was happy as a lark. She was glad that he'd decided to come on the ship with her, it had given him a focused purpose and helped keep his mind off the loss of Admiral Archer. The two had worked together and been friends for so long. "I'm sure their work is stellar and the simulations will go well. Do you think we're ready to implement it?" she asked as they stepped off the lift and walked to Engineering.

"Sure do." he nodded.

She stopped him before they went through the doors, "Will you be getting off at Earth?" she inquired quietly.

Trip smiled, "Actually, I'll be heading to New Vulcan to stay with T'Mir and her family for awhile."

"I'm happy for you Trip, I hope you have a wonderful time with your family - and you'll get to see Ambassador Spock again." she pointed out.

"It will be good to talk to him again." Trip waved for her to go through the door first.

XXXXX

Three weeks later - _U.S.S. Enterprise_.

Leonard McCoy pulled himself off the floor when the ship stopped shaking. They had captured John Harrison on Kronos, then he'd revealed his true identity. Leonard clicked on the nearest monitor and waited for the communication to go through. _He had to tell her what they'd found out before the Admiral managed to blow the Enterprise up to bits._ "Get me Captain Donovan on the _Daystrom_." he requested.

Kaitlyn's image came on the screen, "Leonard - what's wrong?" she questioned quickly when she saw his expression.

"I think we're in over our heads." he admitted. He quickly explained what had happened and everything they'd learned in the last few hours.

Kaitlyn could feel herself growing angry. She had worked so hard to bring credibility and higher moral standards into the Section when she'd been Director of Operations - and now she found out she'd been duped, tricked, and manipulated by the very organization that she put her name upon years ago. "Leonard, we're still days away - but I'll see what I can do." She was frustrated that there wasn't anything she could do at the moment to help them when their lives were hanging on a thread.

Leonard nodded. He looked up quickly as the ship shook again, when he looked back at the screen, it was black. He closed his eyes tightly and prayed they'd get out of this alive.

Kaitlyn blinked rapidly when the connection was terminated and the screen went black. She quickly thought over their options as she headed back to the Bridge and opened her communicator, "Donovan to Engineering."

"How may I assist you, Captain?" Sorek's calm voice questioned over the communicator.

"Get ready to engage the trans-warp drive." she said as she entered the Bridge. She saw the questioning looks from the Bridge crew.

"Captain, we have not completed all of the trial runs. To engage the trans-warp drive for more than a few hours could potentially do more harm than good to the ship and crew." Sorek stated.

"How much closer to Earth?" she questioned him.

Sorek quickly did the calculations, "We would be there in under four hours."

Kaitlyn frowned, four hours could be three hours too late - but they had to try. "Sorek, prep the drive and get your team ready. Any signs of problems, notify me immediately." she ordered.

"Aye, Captain." Sorek quickly went to work in Engineering.

Kaitlyn walked over to Lieutenant Relch, their Navigator, and stood beside him. "As soon as Engineering gives the go ahead, engage the trans-warp drive and get us to Earth as quick as possible."

Lieutenant Relch nodded, "Yes, Ma'am."

Kaitlyn looked to Commander Tala at her Weapons' post questionably.

Tala nodded in understanding, "All weapons will be ready when we arrive."

Kaitlyn patted the Andorian woman's shoulder, then went and sat down in the Captain's Chair. She took a deep breath and collected her thoughts on what she needed to say to the crew of this very unique ship. She had become well acquainted with all of the crew and felt they trusted her. But one wrong word, one misconstrued connotation in her message and she might have a conflict break out between the species that still didn't completely trust one another. She pushed the button to open the comm system throughout the ship and carefully began to explain the situation they were racing into.

XXXXX

Reviews are greatly appreciated!

I hope you have enjoyed reading _The Ripple Effect_. The next story, _Broken Remnants,_ will begin soon after _Star Trek: Into Darkness_ is released.


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